MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE   NAVY 


Hear  Admiral  Clark 


MY  FIFTY  YEARS 
IN  THE  NAVY 


BY 


CHARLES  E.   CLARK 


REAR   ADMIRAL,    U.S.N. 


With  Illustrations 


BOSTON 

LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND   COMPANY 

1917 


r^  ) 


6  51 


Copyright^  1917^ 
By  Little,  Brown,  and  Company. 


All  rights  reserved 
Published,  October,  1917 


THE   COLONIAL    PRESS 
C.    H.    SIMON DS   CO.,    BOSTON,    U.  S.  A. 


■^.t 


,A, 


FOREWORD 

Doctor  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  scientist,  author, 
and  physician,  who  instructed,  delighted,  and 
cared  for  me,  made  me  promise  that  sometime 
this  record  should  be  published.  It  is  now  grate- 
fully inscribed  to  those  who  so  devotedly  and 
capably  served  on  board  the  Oregon  and  to  all 
who  so  tensely  watched  and  waited  while, 

"  Through  tropic  heat. 
Through  snow  and  sleet 
She  hastened  onward  still." 


575375 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

Foreword v 

I     First  Days  at  Annapolis  ......  1 

II     Rumors  of  War 23 

III  The  First  Cruise 51 

IV  On  Board  the  Ossipee 73 

V    With  Farragut  at  Mobile 95 

VI     The  Bombardment  of  Valparaiso      .        .        .         .123 

VII     The  W'reck  of  the  Suwanee 167 

VIII     An  Asiatic  Cruise 196 

IX    Off  Many  Coasts 235 

X    The  Oregon's  Race 258 

XI     Santiago 282 

XII     A  Sailor's  Log 298 

Index 339 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Rear  Admiral  Clark        .... 

Frontispiece 

Constitution.     "Old  Ironsides" 

Facing  Page    16 

Midshipmen  G.  T.  Davis,  F.   A.  Cook 

and   C.  E.   Clark,  before  leaving  the 

Academy  for  active  service  . 

« 

"        48 

David  Glasgow  Farragut 

a 

"      102 

Ossipee 

et 

"      106 

Commodore  John  Rodgers 

t( 

"       124 

VanderUU 

<( 

"      130 

Rear  Admiral  Clark  and  granddaughter, 

Louisa  Russell  Hughes 

it 

"      198 

Hartford,  with  topgallant  masts  housed 

and  without  covered  spardeck.      Rig 

during  the  Civil  War   .... 

it 

*'      212 

Neic  Hampshire       .         .         .         ,         , 

(( 

"      236 

Ranger 

« 

"      244 

Oregon 

« 

"      260 

Now  north,  ondriven  with  hot  coals  of  wrath, 
While  all   our   home  nerves  vibrate  hope  and 

fear; 
Will  the  dark  Spaniard  bar  her  perilous  path  ? 
Must  one  fight  six  ?    Oh,  could  we  see  and  hear ! 
Not    they   disturbed    who   towards    the   battle 

guide  her! 
Not  she,  the  lithe  and  springing  water  tiger ! 
On  to  the  rescue  day  and  night  she  runs 

With  men  who  force  the  fires, 

With  men  who  load  the  guns." 

By  J.  M.  Finch,  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals,  New  York. 


MY    FIFTY    YEARS    IN 
THE    NAVY 

CHAPTER  I 

First  Days  at  Annapolis 

Bradford,  Orange  County,  the  Vermont  vil- 
lage where  I  was  born,  on  August  10,  1843,  is 
situated  upon  the  left  bank  of  the  Waits  River, 
nearly  a  mile  above  its  junction  with  the 
Connecticut.  From  the  elevated  ground  on 
which  it  stands,  one  looks  across  the  intervening 
meadows  to  the  New  Hampshire  hills  and  the 
mountains  beyond  them :  Moosilauke,  forty-six 
hundred  feet  high,  Sugar  Loaf,  or  Black  Hill, 
Owl's  Head,  Cube,  and  Dorchester,  while  the 
more  distant  blue  peak  of  Mount  Lafayette  of 
the  Franconia  Range  rises  to  its  height  of  fifty- 
two  hundred  feet,  between  two  perfect  saddles 
formed  by  the  nearer  mountains. 

From  my  earliest  childhood  I  never  wearied 
1 


2         MV  17FTY  YEARS   IN  THE  NAVY 

of  watching  every  changing  aspect  of  the  differ- 
ent mountains,  and  I  felt  the  general  devotion 
to  them  all  not  uncommon  perhaps  to  boys 
brought  up  among  the  hills;  but  Mount  La- 
fayette was  the  special  object  of  my  admiration, 
and  one  of  my  first  extravagances  was  the  pur- 
chase of  a  small  telescope  to  bring  this  wonder- 
ful mountain  nearer. 

My  parents  were  James  Dayton  Clark,^  also 
born  in  Bradford,  and  Mary  Sexton  Clark,  a 
native  of  Brookfield,  Vermont.  The  first  of  our 
family  to  live  in  Vermont  were  Thomas  and 
Lois  Williams  Clark,  my  great  grandparents, 
who  came  to  Bradford  from  Roxbury,  Massa- 
chusetts, at  the  beginning  of  the  last  century. 
My  great  grandfather  was  a  member  of  the 
General  Court  towards  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  in  which  his  health  had  never  per- 
mitted him  to  take  an  active  part.  The  records 
show,  nevertheless,  that  when  a  battle  was  im- 
minent, he  had  joined  the  provincial  army.  My 
mother's  father.  Major  Hiram  Sexton,  had  served 
during  the  War  of   1812,    and   her   grandfather, 

1  Rear  Admiral  James  Dayton,  U.S.N.,  and  James  Dayton  Clark 
were  first  cousins,  but  the  former  was  junior  to  me  in  rank. 


FIRST  DAYS  AT  ANNAPOLIS  3 

Captain  Williams  of  Wilmington,  Vermont,  was 
an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  army.  Several 
relatives  had  also  served  with  credit  in  the 
colonial,  or  earlier  wars,  so  there  was  enough  of 
the  military  spirit  on  both  sides  to  account  for 
a  longing  on  my  part  to  enter  the  army.  As  my 
father,  however,  left  an  orphan  at  two  years  of 
age,  had  neither  means  nor  political  influence, 
I  generally  pictured  myself  as  carrying  a  musket 
in  the  ranks. 

I  was  very  young  indeed  when  I  established  a 
military  post  on  the  roof  of  our  house.  I  was 
working  out  some  ideas  in  fortification,  when  my 
foot  slipped,  and  I  began  a  rapid  slide  towards 
the  eaves.  I  must  have  gone  headfirst,  for  I 
still  have  a  picture  in  my  mind  of  a  neighbor, 
who,  with  her  arms  upraised  in  horror  at  my 
performance,  seemed  to  me  to  be  walking  on  her 
hands.  A  lucky  grab  at  the  waterspout,  which 
held  long  enough  to  partially  right  me,  was 
responsible  for  my  landing  on  the  ground,  rather 
less   damaged  than   might   have  been   expected. 

I  did  not  come  off  quite  as  well  in  my  first  and 
only  experiment  in  aviation.  I  had  been  read- 
ing of  the  possibilities  of  the  parachute,  and   it 


4  MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

occurred  to  me,  as  it  did  to  Mr.  Richard  Swivel- 
ler,  that  an  umbrella  might  have  its  uses,  outside 
its  regular  sphere.  I  spread  the  news  among 
my  comrades,  one  Saturday  afternoon,  that  at 
a  certain  hour  I  was  prepared  to  jump  from  the 
second-story  window  of  our  house.  My  appear- 
ance at  the  window  was  greeted  by  quite  a  num- 
ber of  spectators  who  were  very  free  in  their 
expressions  of  opinion,  some  derisively  calling  out 
that  I  "wouldn't  dare!"  and  others  that  I'd 
"better  not !"  Affecting  a  composure  that  I  was 
far  from  feeling  at  that  exciting  moment,  I  climbed 
the  sill,  spread  my  umbrella,  and  launched  myself 
into  space.  All  went  well  for  one  brief  second. 
Then  the  umbrella  collapsed,  and  when  I  recov- 
ered consciousness,  my  faith  in  parachutes  had 
collapsed  likewise. 

I  only  recollect  one  other  experience  in  the 
military  line  that  occurred  during  my  early 
boyhood.  My  brother  and  I  owned  a  little 
cannon,  which  made  a  very  desirable  racket  when 
it  was  fired,  but  which  we  felt  might  be  made  to 
do  even  better.  So  we  tried  ramming  down  the 
charge  with  wooden  plugs,  and  this  not  giving 
entire  satisfaction,  we  finally  drove  in  the  iron 


FIRST   DAYS  AT  ANNAPOLIS  5 

rammer,  and  shoved  its  outer  end  against  a  rock. 
When  the  explosion  came,  something  resisted,  but 
it  was  the  rock  and  not  the  cannon.  We  got  a 
very  fine  notion  of  how  it  feels  to  be  in  the  path 
of  a  projectile.  This  one,  fortunately,  cleared 
our  heads,  flying  past  us  into  the  woodshed  where, 
after  splintering  a  beam,  it  came  to  rest  in  a 
much  agitated  pile  of  chips  in  a  corner.  We  were 
quite  unaware  at  the  time  that  we  were  actually 
demonstrating  the  principle  of  the  Congreve 
rocket. 

My  favorite  companion  in  Bradford  was 
William  Rogers,  a  boy  about  a  year  older  than 
myself.  He  had  a  fine  mind  and  was  an  omnivo- 
rous reader.  We  were  almost  inseparable,  and 
from  him  I  was  for  some  time  content  to  take  a 
great  deal  of  my  reading  at  second-hand.  I  was 
an  imaginative  youngster,  and  while  not  lacking 
in  courage  to  meet  the  ordinary  give  and  take  of 
my  boyish  world,  my  head  was  pretty  well  stuffed 
with  a  tissue  of  fanciful  dangers.  Preeminent 
among  these  was  a  fearful  trio  —  Abductors, 
Barn-burners,  and  Ghosts.  I  had  once  seen  in  an 
illustrated  paper  a  picture  of  the  abduction  of 
some  fair  lady  by  armor-clad  knights,  and  her 


6         MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

terrified  expression  haunted  me.  I  felt  that  my 
mother,  the  most  attractive  woman  in  the  world, 
according  to  my  notion,  would  naturally  be  the 
next  to  be  carried  off.  I  often  used  to  make  some 
excuse  to  run  home  from  school  at  recess,  to 
assure  myself  that  she  was  really  there,  and  I  soon 
found  it  was  quite  useless  to  try  to  spend  the  night 
at  a  playmate's  house.  My  apprehensions  were 
certain  to  urge  me  out  of  bed  about  midnight, 
to  travel  home  through  a  darkness  peopled  with 
ghosts  and  burglars,  just  to  make  sure  that 
nothing  had  happened  in  my  absence.  I  used  to 
plead  homesickness  as  my  excuse,  for  I  did  not 
wish  to  have  my  mother  alarmed  about  the 
dreadful  dangers  to  which  she  was  exposed. 

There  was  a  little  more  reality  mixed  with  the 
barn-burner  terror.  Just  why  the  village  of 
Bradford  should  have  been  harried  as  it  was  a 
few  years  previously  by  one  or  more  incendiaries, 
it  would  be  hard  to  say,  but  it  was  a  fact  that 
during  this  period  the  number  of  barns  that  had 
gone  up  in  flames  furnished  the  village  chronicles 
with  matter  for  some  time  to  come.  I  used  to  sit 
in  Pritchard's  store  in  the  evening,  my  ears  wide 
open,  while  the  old  patrols  recalled  their  experi- 


FIRST  DAYS  AT  ANNAPOLIS  7 

ences  and  disputed  as  to  who  was  first  to  arrive 
on  the  scene,  on  that  memorable  night,  when 
Jake  Flanders,  having  fired  at  one  barn-burner, 
was  slashed  by  the  knife  of  another.  Then  some 
cynic  would  suggest  that  Flanders  himself  might 
have  cut  that  slash  in  his  clothing,  just  to  make 
a  good  story,  and  I,  for  one,  would  feel  that  this 
was  a  cruel  doubt.  Generally  speaking,  the 
patrols  seemed  to  have  traveled  conveniently 
in  pairs,  so  that  one  was  able  to  tell  how  the 
other  had  been  shaken  with  fear,  while  he  had 
supplied  the  courage  for  the  occasion. 

My  ideas  about  ghosts  were  largely  derived 
from  some  of  Washington  Irving's  tales,  which 
Will  Rogers  and  I  read  and  discussed  together. 
I  must  confess  that  Ichabod  Crane's  "headless 
Hessian"  and  Dolph  Heyliger's  specter,  with  its 
dreadful  habit  of  walking  right  through  locked 
doors  into  any  house,  gave  me  some  very  bad 
hours.  Will,  who  was  more  sceptical  than  I, 
assured  me  that  these  were  only  old  Dutch  legends, 
but  I  retorted  with  the  story  of  Caesar's  ghost 
that  appeared  to  Brutus  at  Philippi,  and  the 
spirit  that  pursued  Xerxes'  brother  in  so  vigorous 
a  fashion,  and  this  argument  seemed  to  us  both 


8         MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

unanswerable,    for   of   course   history   could   not 
lie,  and  therefore  ghosts  must  exist. 

I  began  my  education  at  the  district  school  in 
Bradford,  and  after  that  was  a  pupil  for  several 
terms  at  the  Bradford  Academy.  Its  principal, 
Roswell  H.  Farnham,  was  afterwards  an  oflScer 
of  Vermont  troops  in  the  Civil  War,  and  later 
became  governor  of  the  State.  He  had  an  inspir- 
ing personality  which  ought  to  have  brought  out 
the  best  in  his  scholars,  but  I  fear  I  cannot  claim 
that  I  was  a  special  credit  to  him  at  that  time. 
Another  principal  of  the  Academy,  to  whom  I 
was  strongly  attached,  was  George  A.  Low,  a 
tall  graduate  of  Dartmouth;  my  liking  was 
based  not  so  much  perhaps  on  his  scholarly  quali- 
ties as  on  the  interest  he  showed  in  our  sports, 
notably  football,  which  we  often  played  in  front 
of  his  house. 

During  my  vacations  I  was  expected  to  make 
myself  more  or  less  useful  in  my  father's  book- 
bindery,  but  as  he  remarked,  when  there  was 
any  real  work  to  do,  I  suddenly  became  a  great 
reader.  There  was  no  lack  of  opportunity,  with 
so  many  books  lying  about.  I  was  particularly 
fond  of  military  history  and  read  everything  I 


FIRST  DAYS  AT  ANNAPOLIS  9 

could  lay  my  hands  on  concerning  Hannibal, 
Napoleon,  Marlborough,  and  other  great  generals. 
Fed  on  this  reading,  my  desire  for  a  soldier's 
career  became  very  strong,  and  I  often  used  to 
talk  to  my  father  about  it.  It  was  during  one  of 
these  talks  that  I  suggested  that  he  write  to  the 
Honorable  Justin  S.  Morrill,  with  whom  he  was 
acquainted,  for  an  appointment  to  the  Military 
Academy  for  me.  My  father  finally  agreed 
to  do  so,  telling  me  at  the  same  time  not  to  set 
my  heart  on  it  too  much,  as  about  all  he  could 
say  for  me  was  that  I  had  reached  the  required 
age  —  sixteen  years. 

Mr.  Morrill  did  not  leave  us  long  in  doubt. 
Within  a  few  days  a  letter  arrived  with  his  frank 
on  the  envelope.  That  letter  meant  so  much  to 
me  that  I  have  never  forgotten  its  exact  words, 
which  ran  thus :  "There  is  no  vacancy  from  this 
district  at  West  Point,  as  I  have  just  appointed 
Doctor  Rockwell's  son,  of  Brattleboro.  But  there 
is  one  at  the  Naval  Academy,  Annapolis,  which 
I  have  offered  to  Judge  Hibbard's  son,  of  Chelsea. 
He  is  hesitating  about  accepting  it.  Should  he 
decline,  I  shall  be  glad  to  let  your  son  have  it. 
Would  he  like  to  be  a  sailor  boy?" 


10       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

While  I  did  not  consider  a  commission  in  the 
navy,  with  its  prospect  of  captain,  the  highest 
rank  then  attainable,  as  equal  to  one  in  the  army, 
with  its  more  high-sounding  titles,  yet  I  was 
excited  and  anxious  enough  about  that  appoint- 
ment to  harbor  very  sinister  thoughts  about 
the  Hibbard  boy.  These  vanished  when  Judge 
Hibbard  told  my  father  that  he  did  not  care  to 
have  a  son  of  his  go  into  the  navy,  and  I  realized 
that  the  coveted  position  was  actually  to  be  mine. 
The  appointment  came  in  the  spring  of  1860,  one 
year  before  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War. 
Soon  after  its  arrival,  finding  that  I  could  not 
endure  the  sight  of  my  mother's  unhappiness 
over  our  impending  separation,  I  decided  to 
return  it  to  Mr.  Morrill.  That  fine  statesman, 
whose  continuous  service  in  Congress  for  forty- 
four  years  exceeded  that  of  any  other  American, 
giving  him  the  title  of  Vermont's  Life  Senator, 
and  who  had  declined  Cabinet  positions,  took 
the  trouble  to  write  to  us,  letting  us  know  just 
what  we  were  setting  aside,  explaining  the  ad- 
vantages of  an  education  at  government  expense, 
and  something  of  what  it  meant  to  be  a  graduate 
of  Annapolis.     With  this  better  understanding, 


FIRST  DAYS  AT  ANNAPOLIS  11 

my  mother  insisted  that  I  should  not  sacrifice 
my  opportunity,  and  the  appointment  was  re- 
turned to  me.  So  I  might  say  that  I  owe  it 
twice  over  to  Mr.  Morrill. 

Sleeping-cars  were  probably  not  in  existence 
at  the  time  I  made  my  journey  to  Annapolis. 
At  least,  I  had  never  heard  of  them.  Traveling 
by  day  was  thought  to  be  a  sufficiently  risky 
business.  Many,  if  not  all  roads,  ran  their 
trains  by  a  time  schedule.  When  a  train  reached 
a  station,  its  conductor  waited  for  a  certain  length 
of  time,  after  which  he  acquired  the  right  of 
way  and  ran  full  speed  for  the  next.  When 
watches  did  not  happen  to  agree,  collisions  were 
in  order. 

On  my  journey  to  Annapolis  I  slept  one  night 
on  the  boat  from  Troy  to  Albany,  and  the  next 
in  Philadelphia,  where  I  saw  "The  American 
Cousin"  played  at  the  Arch  Street  Theatre.  The 
role  of  Lord  Dundreary,  made  so  famous  after- 
wards by  Sothern,  was  then  only  a  secondary 
one.  When  I  boarded  the  train  at  Baltimore, 
I  had  my  first  sight  of  a  midshipman's  uniform. 
The  boy  who  wore  it  was  engaged  in  conversa- 
tion, the  greater  part  of  the  trip,  by  a  father  and 


n       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

son  who  were  evidently  getting  information 
from  him  about  Annapohs,  in  which  I  would  have 
gladly  shared. 

Annapolis,  of  course,  was  full  of  boys  arriving 
for  the  examinations,  and  as  I  was  walking  along 
one  of  its  quaint  streets,  I  overheard  one  little 
group  making  inquiries  as  to  whether  a  certain 
Stirling,  from  Baltimore,  had  received  a  passing 
mark.  Strange  to  say,  Thomas  Williams,  the 
boy  in  uniform  on  the  train,  the  first  midship- 
man I  ever  saw,  and  Yates  Stirling,  the  first 
whose  name  I  heard,  were  my  roommates  during 
my  first  year  ashore  at  the  Academy.  The  com- 
bination lasted  no  longer,  the  commandant  being 
heard  to  remark  that  it  was  a  good  one  to  break 
up.  Williams  was  found  deficient  and  dropped. 
Stirling,  who  became  a  rear  admiral  and  com- 
manded a  fleet  on  the  Asiatic  Station,  now  lives 
in  Baltimore.  The  boy  whom  I  had  noticed  on 
the  train,  talking  to  Williams,  and  whose  name 
was  Carmody,  had  one  of  the  lengthiest  careers 
at  the  Academy.  He  "bilged",  to  use  the 
Academy  term,  that  next  February.  Reap- 
pointed to  the  next  class,  he  was  turned  back  for 
another  year,  and  then  he  was  suspended  for  a 


FIRST  DAYS  AT  ANNAPOLIS  13 

year.  So  he  was  accustomed  to  speak  quite 
contemptuously  of  some  of  the  officers  who 
returned  to  Annapohs  as  instructors,  saying  that 
they  came  into  the  service  long  after  his  time. 

Not  long  after  I  entered  the  Naval  Academy, 
my  parents  left  Bradford  and  moved  to  Mont- 
pelier,  the  capital  of  the  State,  which  became 
their  permanent  home  and  mine,  as  far  as  a  naval 
officer  can  be  said  to  have  one.  My  leaves  of 
absence  were  always  spent  there,  and  I  was  still 
young  enough  when  the  change  was  made  to 
have  many  of  my  youthful  memories  connected 
with  the  town. 

Montpelier,  as  is  well  known,  was  the  birth- 
place of  the  late  Admiral  Dewey,  and  I  could  feel 
that  I  was  certainly  regarded  as  her  adopted  son 
when  I  heard  of  the  speech  made  by  a  local  orator, 
who  after  referring  to  the  battles  of  Manila  and 
Santiago,  spoke  with  true  native  humor  of  the 
Spanish  American  War,  as  "the  war  between  the 
village  of  Montpelier  and  the  kingdom  of  Spain."  ^ 

1  At  one  time  in  Montpelier  much  was  said  about  the  astonishing 
escape  of  Dewey  and  Clark,  but  this  referred  to  the  Admiral's  nephew 
William  and  my  brother  Lloyd.  The  Rialto  Building  that  spanned 
the  Branch  collapsed  during  the  great  fire,  falling  on  the  ice  in  the 
river  bed  below.  Dewey  remained  under  it  and  Clark  in  it,  untU 
the  crash  came. 


14       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

The  superintendent  of  the  Naval  Academy,  at 
whose  little  office  near  the  south  gate  I  reported, 
September  29,  1860,  was  Captain  George  S. 
Blake.  Because  of  his  judicious  management  of 
affairs,  he  was  kept  in  command  with  the  title 
of  "commodore"  several  years  beyond  the  usual 
term  of  superintendents.  He  was  a  portly  old 
gentleman,  who  had  a  habit  of  placing  his  hand 
upon  his  stomach  and  remarking  impressively: 
**I  can  lay  my  hand  upon  my  heart,  and  say  I 
never  wronged  a  midshipman ! " 

His  colored  office  attendant,  Jim  HoUiday,  also 
had  the  welfare  of  the  midshipmen  at  heart,  and 
remarks  overheard  at  the  conferences  of  the 
Academic  Board  were  often  used  by  him  as  a 
basis  for  a  word  of  friendly  advice  or  warning, 
to  such  of  the  boys  as  consulted  him  about  their 
standing,  —  and  they  were  not  a  few.  A  tip 
from  Holliday  was  not  to  be  despised.  "Yo* 
mus'  sutinly  pay  mo'  attention  to  yo'  mechanics, 
suh,"  he  would  gravely  admonish  some  young 
questioner,  "or  I'm  ve'y  much  afraid  yo'  are 
going  to  *  bilge.'  " 

One  of  my  classmates,  returning  from  leave, 
brought  back  a  message  of  remembrance  from  an 


FIRST  DAYS  AT  ANNAPOLIS  15 

officer  he  had  met,  which  greatly  pleased  HoUiday, 
but  at  the  concluding  words  —  "And  he  told  me 
to  ask  you,  Holliday,  how  the  *  Epidemic  Board' 
was  getting  on?"  Holliday's  face  fell.  "Did 
he  say  that?  'Deed,  suh,  I'm  ve'y  sorry  that 
eveh  got  out  in  the  service." 

The  historic  frigate  Constitution  —  "Old  Iron- 
sides"—  had  just  been  fitted  out  as  the  school- 
ship,  and  also  with  quarters  for  the  fourth  class, 
so  I  at  once  went  on  board.  Her  commander 
was  Lieutenant  George  W.  Rodgers,  a  nephew 
of  the  hero  of  Lake  Erie.  He  was  soon  after- 
wards killed,  fighting  bravely  for  the  Union. 
Next  in  rank  was  Lieutenant  John  H.  Upshur,  a 
true  scion  of  the  Old  Dominion,  who  loved  it 
much,  but  the  country  more.  At  this  day,  active 
in  body,  as  well  as  in  mind,  his  many  friends 
hopefully  and  affectionately  see  him  approaching 
the  century  mark. 

Mrs.  Upshur,  whose  father  fell  at  Monterey, 
and  whose  unusual  beauty  was  enhanced  in  the 
eyes  of  our  Southern  comrades  by  her  ancestry, 
captured  all  hearts.  She  not  only  was  lovely  to 
look  upon,  but  had  an  unrivalled  faculty  for 
detecting    the    homesick,    shy,    and    despondent 


16       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

among  the  boys  and  drawing  them  into  the 
charmed  circle  about  her.  It  was  the  knowledge 
of  this  quality  that  prompted  her  husband  one 
evening,  after  a  reception,  to  offer  William  K. 
Pipkin,  painfully  awkward  and  homely,  and  just 
arrived  from  the  backwoods  of  Missouri,  the 
privilege  of  escorting  her  home.  Instead  of 
accepting  with  eagerness  the  honor  that  had 
fallen  to  him,  the  embarrassed  youth,  blushing 
hotly,  managed  to  stammer  out,  "Excuse  me, 
sir,  but  the  last  thing  Dad  and  Ma  said  to  me 
when  I  left  home,  was  :  *  Bill  Pip,  you  beware  of 
the  women  ! ' " 

"Bill  Pip"  had  entered  the  class  next  ahead, 
but  had  failed  in  some  branch  and  had  fallen  back 
into  ours.  Rumor  says  he  became  the  colonel 
of  a  Confederate  regiment  when  only  twenty- 
three,  and  ended  his  life  as  a  millionaire.  How- 
ever that  may  be,  he  passed  many  bad  hours  at 
the  Academy  and  would  doubtless  have  "bilged" 
at  the  first  semi-annual  examination  but  for  Mrs. 
Upshur's  tactful  encouragement  and  sympathy. 
Later,  when  promoted  to  the  rank  of  rear  admiral, 
I  had  sincere  pleasure  in  asking  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment to  order  an  oflEicer  to  the  Academy,  knowing 


<u 

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O    =  .5? 


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^^^ 


FIRST  DAYS  AT  ANNAPOLIS  17 

that  his  wife,  the  only  daughter  of  our  battle 
scarred  President,  was  like  Mrs.  Upshur  in  love- 
liness of  character. 

Belonging  to  the  academic  staff  on  shore  were 
a  number  of  officers,  who  afterwards  attained 
high  rank,  or  gained  distinction  in  the  Union  or 
Confederate  navies.  C.  R.  P.  Rodgers,  then 
commandant  of  midshipmen,  Edward  Simpson, 
and  Stephen  B.  Luce,  afterwards  j&rst  president  of 
the  Naval  War  College,  became  rear  admirals. 
Lieutenant  Flusser,  a  Southerner,  was  killed  fight- 
ing bravely  for  the  Union.  Lieutenants  John 
Taylor  Wood,  Hunter  Davidson,  and  William 
H.  Parker  joined  the  Secessionists. 

Lieutenant  Parker  was  the  first  naval  officer 
I  ever  saw,  but  as  he  was  in  citizen's  clothes 
at  the  time,  I  was  not  deeply  impressed.  He 
was  the  author  of  nautical  sketches,  sailing  direc- 
tions, and  artillery  tactics.  He  became  super- 
intendent of  the  Confederate  States  Naval  Aca- 
demy, and  the  last  I  heard  of  him,  before  his 
death,  he  was  president  of  an  agricultural  college. 
The  way  his  resignation  came  about  was  rather 
curious.  Despite  his  Southern  birth  —  he  was  a 
Virginian   —  William   Parker    was    strongly    dis- 


18       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

inclined  to  leave  the  service  in  which  he  had  been 
reared.  His  brother,  Foxhall  Parker,  a  com- 
mander in  the  navy,  was  of  the  opinion  that  his 
duty  lay  with  the  South.  The  brothers  happening 
to  meet  just  before  the  outbreak  of  hostilities,  each 
urged  his  side  of  the  question  upon  the  other, 
Foxhall  pleading  their  birth,  connections,  and 
traditions,  and  William  loyalty  to  the  flag,  and 
to  the  service  in  which  they  had  been  educated. 
After  separating,  each  reflected  upon  the  other's 
arguments  to  such  purpose  that  William  ended 
by  sending  in  his  resignation,  while  Foxhall 
decided  to  withhold  his. 

Years  later,  in  Washington,  William  Parker 
pointed  out  his  brother  to  a  friend,  saying : 
*' There  goes  Foxhall,  the  disloyal  Unionist,  on 
full  pay,  and  here  stands  William,  the  loyal 
Secessionist,  down  on  his  uppers." 

To  return  to  the  Constitution,  Having  been 
hauled  in  as  near  the  Academy  sea  wall  as  possible, 
she  had  been  moored  head  and  stern,  and  a  narrow 
footbridge  connecting  her  with  the  shore  had 
been  constructed.  Under  the  poop  deck,  and  in  a 
small  deckhouse  amidships,  were  four  recitation 
rooms.     The  three  study  rooms  were  on  the  gun 


FIRST  DAYS  AT  ANNAPOLIS  19 

deck,  bulkheads  having  been  run  along  parallel 
with  the  sides,  and  the  gun  ports  serving  as  win- 
dows. Our  lockers,  one  for  each  midshipman, 
were  fitted  against  the  sides  on  the  berth  deck. 
Forward  was  the  wash  room,  the  number  of  basins 
averaging  about  one  to  five  of  the  washers,  who 
scrambled  for  the  first  chance,  and  then  put 
in  claims  —  which  were  always  respected  —  for 
second  and  third  places.  Inspection  came  before 
breakfast,  so  delays  were  inveighed  against,  and 
much  attention  to  the  ears  or  neck  reprobated. 
In  the  interval  between  supper  and  evening  study 
hours,  one  of  the  six  gun  crews  w^ould  be  marched 
over  to  the  bathhouse  on  shore.  I  think  I  may 
say  that  the  majority  of  us  considered  it  a  great 
hardship  that  one  of  our  short  periods  of  recrea- 
tion should  be  taken  for  such  a  purpose. 

The  only  guns  remaining  on  board  the  Con- 
stitution were  eight  or  ten  of  the  thirty-two 
pounders  of  the  quarter-deck  battery,  and  with 
these  we  were  exercised  after  four  o'clock,*  when 
the  afternoon  studies  and  recitations  were  over. 
At  the  end  of  the  first  month,  it  was  found  that 
in  one  of  the  crews  were  six  of  the  ten  men  first  in 
class  standing,  but  as  the  second  crew,  to  which  I 


20       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE   NAVY 

belonged,  could  run  the  guns  in  and  out,  and  shift 
trucks  and  breechings  in  the  shortest  time,  and 
also  pull  our  cutter  the  fastest,  we  were  the  fellows 
that  were  envied  and  looked  up  to  by  the  others. 

I  remember  very  well  the  first  time  Lieutenant 
Rodgers  attempted  to  teach  us  something  about 
sails.  He  had  the  mizzen  topsail  broken  out, 
and  stretched  along  the  deck.  "Now,"  said  he, 
"Mr.  Clark,  you  and  Mr.  Glidden  lay  aloft  and 
overhaul  down  the  buntlines." 

"The  buntlines?"  I  repeated,  staring  at  him. 

"Yes,  sir!  the  b-u-n-t-1-i-n-e-s ! "  he  roared, 
spelling  it  out,  and  without  waiting  for  any 
further  explanation,  I  hurried  aloft,  determined 
to  overhaul  down  any  rope  that  offered. 

We  were  quite  fearless  by  this  time  about 
running  up  the  rigging,  and  those  of  us  who  had 
imagination  enjoyed  looking  down  from  the 
royal  jack  upon  that  deck,  which  "once  had  felt 
the  victor's  tread"  and  where  "knelt  the  van- 
quished foe."     I  had  read  the  poem  beginning,  — 

"Old  Ironsides  at  anchor  lay 
In  the  harbor  of  Mahon" 

with  its  account  of  how  the  captain's  little  son 
had  climbed  to  the  main  truck,  and  stood  sway- 


FIRST  DAYS  x\T  ANNAPOLIS  21 

ing  there,  until  his  father  by  threatening  him 
with  a  rifle,  had  made  him  jump  into  the  sea. 
I  was  incHned  to  think  that  there  was  more 
poetry  than  truth  in  this  alleged  occurrence,  yet 
I  have  seen  Rear  Admiral  Harry  Taylor,  who  was 
one  of  the  little  fellows  in  my  class,  sitting  on 
the  main  truck  of  "Old  Ironsides"  amusing  him- 
self by  rolling  up  the  pennant  and  letting  it  flow 
again.  His  only  rival  was  "Brick  Top"  English, 
who  once  got  on  his  feet  on  the  truck,  aided  a 
little  by  the  lightning  conductor,  which  projected 
about  a  foot  above  it.  Finally  the  superintendent 
got  wind  of  these  proceedings,  and  ordered  that 
no  midshipman  should  climb  above  the  eyes  of 
the  royal  rigging. 

The  colored  servants  who  waited  on  us  at 
mess  were  slaves,  hired  from  their  masters,  in  or 
near  Annapolis.  Except  Dorsey,  the  steward, 
I  recall  the  name  of  but  one,  and  that  only  because 
of  a  couple  of  accidents  in  which  he  figured.  He 
came  sliding  down  the  ladder  at  dinner  hour, 
one  day,  holding  up  an  inverted  soup  tureen, 
and  pouring  its  hot  contents  over  himself,  en 
route.  Very  soon  after  this  he  again  engaged 
public  attention  by  falling  overboard.     One  of 


n       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

the  crew,  promptly  seizing  a  boat  hook,  suc- 
ceeded in  shoving  it  under  the  waistband,  but 
although  his  rescue  seemed  thus  to  be  assured, 
another  negro  from  his  place  in  a  gun  port  con- 
tinued making  a  great  outcry. 

"Oh!  shut  up!"  cried  a  sailor  impatiently. 
**  They'll  save  him !  Can't  you  see  they've  hooked 
on  to  him  all  right  ?  " 

"'Taint  all  right,  nuther !  Dat's  my  brudder, 
Caleb  Watkins,  an'  he  done  got  on  my  bes'  Sun- 
day breeches ! " 

Another  name  I  recollect  among  the  colored 
personnel  was  that  of  Moses  Lake,  the  Academy 
barber.  He  had  been  the  servant  of  Commodore 
Buchanan  during  a  European  cruise,  and  the 
walls  of  his  shop  were  decorated  with  pictures 
and  inscriptions,  such  as  the  following:  "Wind- 
sor Castle,  visited  by  Mr.  Moses  Lake,  Septem- 
ber, 1858."  "Mount  Vesuvius,  first  seen  by  Mr. 
Moses  Lake,  October,  1858." 


CHAPTER  II 

Rumors  of  War 

Ever  since  my  class  entered  the  Academy  in 
September,  the  growing  unrest  and  trouble  of 
the  country  had  been  disturbing  the  equilibrium 
of  our  little  world.  There  were  much  wrangling 
and  many  arguments  among  the  boys,  but  no 
real  quarreling.  In  the  general  sense  of  upheaval, 
no  one  —  this  was  especially  true  of  the  North- 
erners —  felt  certain  enough  of  the  ground  under 
his  feet  to  take  an  assured  position.  In  fact,  the 
youngsters  at  the  Academy  were  in  about  as 
bad  a  muddle  as  the  country  at  large.  After  the 
secession  of  South  Carolina  in  December,  however, 
our  classmates  from  the  South  began  to  talk  with 
more  conviction.  They  insisted,  for  one  thing, 
that  as  in  a  division  of  the  country  the  North 
would  have  West  Point,  the  Naval  Academy 
should  go  to  them.  They  declared  that  New 
York  City  sympathized  with  their  cause,  and  if 

23 


24       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

a  war  should  come,  the  Seventh  Regiment,  the 
finest  in  the  country,  would  be  sure  to  fight  on 
their  side.  As  for  Baltimore,  they  knew  she  would 
never  allow  Abolitionists  and  John  Brown  sym- 
pathizers to  pass  through  her  streets,  nor  even 
Northern  troops  to  march  through  to  the  support 
of  Washington,  if  it  were  attacked. 

These  opinions  were  being  hotly  voiced  by  the 
Southern  element  in  a  little  group  of  midshipmen, 
one  day,  when  a  first-class  man  who  was  walking 
by  overheard  a  sentence  that  brought  him  to  an 
abrupt  halt.  He  was  the  late  Rear  Admiral 
Sampson,  then  at  the  head  of  the  first  class.  He 
was  the  ranking  cadet  officer,  as  adjutant  wore 
the  most  gold  lace,  and,  being  strikingly  handsome 
moreover,  was  probably  a  greater  man  in  the  eyes 
of  the  junior  classmen  than  any  of  their  officers 
or  instructors. 

"You  say,"  he  slowly  and  deliberately  repeated 
the  words  of  the  last  speaker,  "if  the  capital  of 
the  nation  is  attacked.  Northern  troops  will  not 
be  permitted  to  march  through  Baltimore  to  pro- 
tect it }  Well,  then,"  his  voice,  usually  so  quiet, 
rang  out  like  a  call  to  arms,  "the  North  will 
march  over  Baltimore — or  the  place  where  it  stood  ! " 


RUMORS  OF   WAR  25 

He  said  nothing  further  and  went  his  way, 
leaving  a  silent  group  behind  him,  and  with  the 
Northern  boys  an  indescribable  sense  of  comfort. 
Those  few  words,  so  clear  and  decisive,  seemed 
like  a  flag  around  which  we  could  rally.  We 
realized  for  the  first  time  what  it  would  mean  to 
us  if  war  really  came,  and  the  safety  of  the  Re- 
public were  at  stake.  At  the  same  time,  I  believe 
there  were  very  few  of  us  that  had  any  miscon- 
ception of  the  herculean  task  the  North  would 
have  to  face.  Even  six  months'  association  with 
our  Southern  comrades  had  taught  us  that  they 
came  from  a  military  class.  Every  one  of  them 
was  an  unerring  marksman,  and  we  heard  that 
they  could  ride  as  well  as  they  could  shoot.  We 
were  not  prepared,  however,  to  swallow  their  as- 
sumption that  one  Southerner  was  equal  to  four 
Northerners,  nor  did  subsequent  history  bear  out 
this  boast. ^     Yet  it  must  be  conceded  that  until 


1  The  rifle-carrying  poor  white  who  shot  squirrels  in  the  head 
only,  was  as  yet  thoroughly  dominated .  So  the  South  was  prepared  or 
organized  for  war.  But  this  homogeneity  and  even  the  social  fabric 
could  not  last.  Only  on  the  great  plantations  was  slave  labor  really 
profitable,  so  there  was  a  natural  limit  to  the  number  of  slaveholders. 
And  while  the  planter's  son  was  taught  that  virtue  was  more  than 
the  courage  which  must  never  be  questioned  he  was  exposed  to  a 
great  temptation,  and  this  was  deplored  by  the  thoughtful  men  and 


26       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

inured  to  war,  or  thoroughly  trained,  no  equal 
number  of  men  in  the  world  could  have  stood 
against  the  quarter  million  of  slave-holders,  who 
practically  formed  in  the  South  a  military  caste, 
like  the  Samurai  in  Japan,  or  the  Spartans  in 
Lacedsemon. 

It  has  always  been  easy  to  persuade  the  unread 
soldier  who  fought  in  the  Southern  ranks  that  he 
was  never  defeated  except  when  overpowered. 
This  cherished  idea  was  probably  never  so  com- 
pletely refuted  as  by  the  publication  of  Hender- 
son's "Life  of  Stonewall  Jackson."  The  admira- 
tion felt  by  this  accomplished  English  officer  for 
the  Southern  hero  makes  it  impossible  to  question 
his  carefully  prepared  statements,  and  he  shows 
that  except  at  Chancellorsville,  where  the  Union 
army,  overpowering  in  strength,  was  defeated 
through  wretched  handling,  the  victory  generally 
went  to  "the  strong  battalions";  that  the  claim 
of  triumphs  won  by  inferior  numbers,  without 
the  advantage  of  position,  was  unfounded. 

The  first  of  my  classmates  to  resign  was  Bryan 


the  notably  loyal  women  of  the  South.  There  were  many  who  felt 
keenly  the  condemnation  of  slavery  that  was  increasing  in  the  civi- 
lized world. 


RUMORS  OF  WAR  27 

of  South  Carolina,  who  soon  wrote  back  that  he 
was  a  real  midshipman,  on  board  the  Excel  in 
Charleston  harbor.  Then  the  Gulf  State  fellows 
began  to  fall  out  rapidly,  among  them  WilHam 
Earle  Yancey,  son  of  the  noted  Alabama  seces- 
sionist. In  March  came  the  inauguration  of 
Lincoln,  followed  by  Anderson's  retirement  to 
Sumter.  This  fort,  with  its  walls  rising  per- 
pendicularly from  the  water,  we  had  fondly 
imagined  to  be  impregnable,  and  its  fall  was  a 
shock,  but  at  least  it  opened  our  eyes  to  the  fact 
that  the  North  was  united. 

After  this,  reports  came  rapidly  of  the  seizure 
of  one  fort  after  another,  culminating  in  that  of 
the  arsenal  at  Harper's  Ferry.  The  capture  of 
this  arsenal  gave  us  the  uneasy  feeling  of  being 
cut  off  from  our  base,  as  it  was  situated  farther 
north  than  Annapolis.  Next,  there  were  rumors 
that  Maryland,  being  a  slave  State,  intended  to 
secede,  and  in  that  case,  one  of  her  first  steps  would 
be  an  attempt  to  capture  our  frigate  and  the  guns 
and  munitions  of  war  at  the  Academy.  Our 
authorities  at  once  began  to  make  preparations 
for  defense.  Old  Fort  Severn,  which  stood  in 
the  Academy  grounds,  had  been  used  as  an  ex- 


28       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

ercising  battery  for  the  midshipmen,  but  as  it 
was  actually  valueless  for  defensive  purposes, 
and  its  guns,  if  they  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands, 
could  have  been  turned  against  the  Constitution, 
they  were  hastily  dismounted,  taken  aboard,  and 
added  to  our  battery.  When  it  was  reported 
that  troops  had  appeared  north  of  the  Severn, 
ammunition  was  served  out,  and  the  midshipmen, 
both  afloat  and  ashore,  were  stationed  to  repel 
an  attack.  There  were  no  marines  at  the  Academy 
at  this  time,  and  not  more  than  twenty-five  sea- 
men on  board  the  Constitution.  Her  gun-deck 
ports  were  closed  at  night,  and  Number  1  gun's 
crew  told  off  to  guard  that  deck.  The  rest  of  us 
were  to  fall  in  on  the  spar  deck,  in  case  of  an 
alarm.  One  of  the  crews  was  kept  on  duty  at 
night,  and  from.it  the  sentries  were  detailed.  I 
remember  my  first  watch  was  from  midnight  to 
two  A.M.,  on  the  bowsprit,  where  I  could  see  any- 
thing approaching  from  up  the  river. 

One  of  the  sentries  on  shore  one  night  (Mid- 
shipman Benjamin  Porter,  who  was  afterwards 
killed  at  Fort  Fisher)  discovered  a  number  of  men 
on  the  wharf,  just  outside  the  north  wall  of  the 
Academy,    making   preparations    to    remove   the 


RUMORS  OF  WAR  29 

ferryboat  which  was  moored  there.  Having  had 
his  instructions  as  a  sentry,  he  ordered  them  to 
desist,  and  when  they  refused  to  obey,  he  fired, 
and  called  for  the  guard.  When  the  guard  ar- 
rived, it  was  in  charge  of  Lieutenant  Hunter  Dav- 
idson, and  the  offenders,  who  by  that  time  had 
judged  it  best  to  submit,  expressed  their  satis- 
faction in  having  a  Secessionist  to  deal  with. 
Davidson,  however,  promptly  warned  them  to 
expect  nothing  from  him,  for  although  he  had 
resigned,  he  still  wore  the  United  States  uniform. 

When  the  Union  troops  were  fired  upon  while 
passing  through  Baltimore,  and  the  city  seemed 
to  be  completely  in  the  hands  of  the  Secessionists, 
it  was  evident  that  we  were  cut  off  by  land  from 
the  North  and  from  Washington  as  well,  if  the 
report  were  true  about  the  large  force  assembled 
at  Annapolis  Junction.  Concern  for  our  own 
position  almost  disappeared  in  the  greater  anxiety 
that  was  felt  for  the  safety  of  the  Capital. 

Early  one  Sunday  morning  in  April,  we  heard 
that  a  large  steamer  filled  with  troops  was  on  her 
way  up  from  the  bay,  and  we  soon  learned  that 
she  was  the  Maryland,  diverted  from  her*  usual 
employment  of  taking  trains  across  the  mouth 


30       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

of  the  Susquehanna  at  Havre  de  Grace.  She 
had  on  board  the  8th  Massachusetts  Regiment, 
with  General  Butler  in  command.  At  the  re- 
quest of  Governor  Hicks,  it  was  decided  not  to 
land  the  troops  at  once.  The  Governor,  himself 
a  Union  man,  feared  that  an  exhibition  of  armed 
force  just  then  might  cause  the  State  to  secede. 
No  one  realized  at  that  time  how  strong  the  Union 
sentiment  actually  was  in  Maryland. 

The  Academy  authorities  took  advantage  of 
the  presence  of  the  steamer  to  change  the  un- 
favorable position  of  the  Constitution,  It  for- 
tunately happened  that  the  Massachusetts  sol- 
diers were  from  the  eastern  part  of  their  State, 
and  consequently  many  of  them  were  seamen. 
With  their  help,  the  anchors  were  soon  raised, 
and  our  frigate,  with  the  Maryland  alongside, 
moved  slowly  out  into  the  bay.  Ten  of  the 
class  were  kept  on  board,  and  they  were  naturally 
proud  of  this  selection,  but  the  rest  of  us  could 
feel,  at  least,  that  in  joining  the  three  classes  on 
shore,  we  were  going  to  what  was  supposed  to 
be  the  post  of  danger.  I  have  often  thought 
since  what  an  anxious  time  that  must  have  been 
for  our  superintendent  and  his  officers.     If  they 


RUMORS  OF  WAR  31 

had  known  the  real  depth  of  loyalty  among  the 
people  surrounding  us,  they  would  have  had 
little  occasion  to  feel  uneasy,  but  the  Secessionists 
were  the  ones  in  evidence,  and  according  to  their 
noisy  talk,  Baltimore  was  backing  them.  What 
had  we  to  oppose  to  a  determined  attack?  We 
numbered  less  than  two  hundred  in  all,  and  the 
average  age  of  the  midshipmen  in  the  four  classes 
was  eighteen  years  —  the  age  of  admission  being 
then  fourteen  to  seventeen  inclusive.  The  low 
brick  wall  around  the  Academy  grounds  was  not 
intended  for  defensive  purposes,  and  had  no  pro- 
jections from  which  an  attacking  party  could  be 
swept  by  a  fire  along  its  face. 

A  couple  of  days  passed  slowly,  while  we  were 
in  this  state  of  tension,  and  the  sense  of  relief 
was  great,  when  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
second  or  third  day,  a  steamer  was  sighted  com- 
ing from  the  Roads.  She  hauled  in  at  the  wharf, 
and  the  famous  7th  New  York  marched  ashore. 
More  troops  followed,  and  it  was  decided  to  open 
the  road  to  W^ashington.  The  only  locomotive  at 
the  station  had  been  disabled,  but  the  Massa- 
chusetts 8th  men  were  mechanics,  as  well  as 
sailors,  and  it  was  soon  put  in  working  order. 


32       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Other  regiments  arrived;  among  them  the 
71st  New  York,  the  69th  Irish,  a  German  regi- 
ment talking  their  own  language,  but  cheering 
for  the  flag,  and  the  1st  Rhode  Island,  under 
Colonel  —  afterwards  General  —  Burnside.  The 
soldiers  of  the  last  named  wore  blouses  belted  at 
the  waist,  and  had  such  a  businesslike  air  that  the 
Southern  boys  admitted  they  did  not  like  their 
looks.  Neither  had  they  greatly  relished  the 
sight  of  the  much-talked-of  7th,  which  they  had 
formerly  claimed  as  their  own. 

Of  course  there  could  be  no  school  at  such  a 
time,  and  we  imagined  it  was  done  with  forever, 
and  rejoiced  accordingly.  We  flung  our  text- 
books from  the  windows,  causing  much  vexation 
of  spirit  to  the  officers  of  the  German  regiment, 
which  was  drilling  below,  for  their  men  would 
persist  in  leaving  the  ranks  to  pick  up  the  books, 
and  then  try  to  drill,  holding  them  under  their 
arms.  The  efforts  of  one  stout  private  to  man- 
age his  musket  and  retain  his  hold  on  two  cor- 
pulent dictionaries  were  especially  conspicuous. 

It  was  on  one  of  these  idle  days  that  a  rumor 
ran  the  rounds  that  a  steamer  which  had  hauled 
in  to  the  wharf  had  a  passed  midshipman  on 


RUMORS  OF  WAR  33 

board.  A  number  of  us  hurried  to  the  water- 
front to  verify  this  report,  and  there,  sure  enough, 
he  sat  upon  the  rail,  a  bit  of  gold  lace  upon  his 
shoulder,  apparently  quite  oblivious  to  the  gazing 
crowd  below.  He  knew  he  was  a  rare  bird,  and 
expected  us  to  stare  at  him.  The  grade  was 
soon  after  abolished,  so  he  was  the  only  one  of  his 
kind  I  ever  saw. 

Finally  came  the  change  which  we  had  all  been 
expecting.  One  morning  at  roll  call,  we  were 
ordered  to  be  ready  to  go  on  board  the  steamer 
Josephine,  which  would  take  us  out  to  the  Con- 
stitution. Part  of  the  first  class  had  already  been 
detached  and  gone  with  the  troops  to  Washing- 
ton, and  there  were  twenty  Southerners  who  had 
resigned  and  would  be  left  behind  when  we  em- 
barked. They  took  their  usual  places  in  the  ranks, 
when  we  formed  to  march  down  to  the  wharf, 
and  the  soldiers  closed  in,  front  and  rear.  The 
wharf  was  crowded,  and  there  was  some  confu- 
sion, the  Southern  boys  falling  out  of  ranks,  and 
saying  good-by  to  their  classmates,  but  when 
the  commandant  of  mishipmen,  C.  R.  P.  Rod- 
gers,  came  down  the  long  line,  and  paused  opposite 
its  center,  all  were  hushed,  for  it  had  been  said 


34       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

he  meant  to  give  us  a  farewell  address.  Looking 
at  the  rows  of  boyish  faces  turned  expectantly 
towards  him,  and  at  the  flag  floating  above  their 
heads,  he  raised  his  arm,  and  pointing  to  it,  be- 
gan, "Be  true  to  the  flag",  and  then  broke  down 
completely.  I  am  sure  many  others  were  in  tears  ; 
I  know  I  was.  But  what  affected  us  the  most, 
and  amused  us  as  well,  was  the  behavior  of  the 
soldiers,  who  broke  into  the  ranks,  embracing 
the  midshipmen  and  crying  out :  'Never  mind ! 
You'll  soon  be  coming  back,  boys !  We'll  see 
that  you  get  your  school  again ! '  To  this  day  I 
remember  how  thankful  I  felt  that  the  big  soldier 
who  was  hugging  me  had  not  seen  me  throwing 
my  books  out  of  the  window. 

As  the  Josephine  shoved  off,  some  one  shouted 
to  run  up  a  bigger  flag  than  the  one  she  was  carry- 
ing. So  a  large  ensign  was  hoisted,  but  just  as 
it  reached  the  staff,  the  knot  at  the  lower  corner 
gave  way,  and  the  flag  became  nothing  but  a 
streamer.  In  trying  to  lower  it,  the  wind  carried 
it  so  far  astern  that  it  could  not  be  reached,  and 
we  were  well  down  the  river  before  it  was  finally 
hoisted.  If  our  late  classmates  felt  that  this  was 
a  good  omen  for  their  cause,  they  did  not  show 


RUMORS  OF  WAR  35 

any  signs  of  exultation.  In  fact,  the  last  we  saw 
of  them,  they  were  a  sorrowful  looking  lotJ 

We  found  changes  on  board  the  Constitution, 
The  study  rooms  had  gone,  and  the  guns  had 
been  shifted  from  the  spar  deck.  Never  did  a 
man-of-war  sail  with  such  a  motley  crew !  There 
were  midshipmen  from  all  four  classes,  about 
twenty-five  sailors,  and  two  companies  of  the  8th 
Massachusetts  from  Marblehead  and  Salem  —  if 
I  remember  rightly  —  the  one  in  blue  uniforms, 
and  the  other  in  zouave  costumes.  I  suppose 
these  companies  were  selected  because  there  were 
so  many  seafaring  men  among  them.  I  know 
when  we  got  outside  the  Capes,  we  found  them 
very  handy,  below  and  aloft. 

Just  before  weighing  anchor,  Dorsey,  the  col- 
ored steward,  who  was  dear  to  us  all,  left  the 
ship,  quite  broken-hearted.  The  poor  fellow, 
who  could  not  foresee  that  all  his  race  were  to 
be  made  free  by  the  war,  felt  that  the  breaking 
up  of  the  Academy  meant  additional  years  of 
slavery  for  him.  His  master,  who  we  under- 
stood was  not  well  off,  had  always  generously 
permitted  a  large  part  of  Dorsey's  pay  to  go  to- 
wards the  purchase  of  his  freedom,  but  a  con- 


36       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

siderable  sum  was  still  lacking.  After  we  reached 
Newport,  Commodore  Blake  allowed  each  of 
us  to  subscribe  a  small  amount,  which  was  charged 
to  our  accounts,  and  this,  with  what  he  and  the 
other  officers  gave,  enabled  Dorsey  to  rejoin  us, 
a  free  and  grateful  man. 

What  seemed  to  afford  Dorsey  a  little  comfort 
at  parting  was  the  trust  reposed  in  him  by  Lieu- 
tenant Scott,  who  handed  him  a  quantity  of 
bills  and  the  money  to  pay  them,  saying,  "Dor- 
sey, we  may  never  meet  again,  for  we  can't  tell 
what  will  happen  to  us  or  the  country.  Please, 
when  you  get  ashore,  settle  these  accounts  for 
me,  and  be  sure  to  take  receipts,  because  all  people 
can't  be  trusted  like  you,  Dorsey." 

We  started  down  the  Chesapeake,  towed  by 
the  steamer  R.  R.  Cuyler  and  with  the  Harriet 
Lane  steaming  ahead.  The  latter  did  not  go 
further  than  the  Capes.  Off  the  Jersey  coast 
we  passed  over  the  ground  where  the  Constitution 
was  once  so  closely  pursued  by  the  British  fleet 
that  she  barely  escaped  by  resorting  to  kedging 
and  towing  with  her  boats. 

In  later  years  it  has  been  a  source  of  satis- 
faction to  me  to  remember  that  I  first  saw  the 


RUMORS  OF  WAR  37 

open  sea  from  the  deck  of  "Old  Ironsides",  and 
that  I  was  on  board  when  the  last  preparations 
were  made  to  defend  her  from  an  attack.  It 
was  from  this  same  anchorage,  Annapolis  Roads, 
that  the  Constitution  sailed  at  the  beginning  of 
another  war  —  the  War  of  1812  —  in  which  she 
won  such  renown.^  The  voyage  she  made  this 
time  was  quite  uneventful,  the  only  incident  I 
can  recall  being  a  sight  of  the  Niagara  as  we  went 
through  the  Narrows.  She  and  the  General  Ad- 
miral were  the  two  largest  steam  frigates  in  the 
world.  We  found  at  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard 
two  fine  vessels  of  that  type,  fitting  out  for  the 
blockade  —  the  Wabash  and  the  Roanoke. 

We  were  a  little  disposed  to  regard  ourselves, 
on  our  arrival  in  New  York,  in  the  light  of  returned 
warriors,  and  imagining  others  did  the  same,  en- 
joyed the  sensation  hugely.  But  this  dream  was 
rudely  dispelled,  and  we  were  intensely  chagrined, 
when  one  of  the  illustrated  papers  came  out  with 
a  picture  which  showed  the  8th  Massachusetts 
charging    across    the    deck    of    the    Constitution^ 


1  One  of  the  references  to  the  Oregon  that  I  most  value  was  that 
made  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  when  he  spoke  of  her  in  an 
official  dispatch  as  the  Constitution  of  the  modern  navy. 


38       xMY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY' 

driving  the  rebels  over  the  rail,  while  we  —  the 
imprisoned  midshipmen  —  peered  anxiously  up 
through  the  hatches  of  the  deck  below. 

I  think  we  must  have  received  our  allowance  of 
spending  money  at  this  time  —  the  sum  of  one 
dollar  per  month  —  for  I  remember  our  hurrying 
in  large  numbers  to  the  restaurants  of  lower  New 
York,  which  we  invaded  like  a  swarm  of  hungry 
locusts.  The  months  of  wholesome  but  very  plain 
fare  at  the  Academy  had  given  our  appetites  an 
extra  edge.  A  dollar  must  have  gone  far  in  those 
days,  or  else  people  were  kind  in  giving  us  its 
full  value,  for  even  after  this  raid  on  the  restau- 
rants, we  were  able  to  take  a  ride  in  the  Broad- 
way omnibuses,  ending  up  with  a  visit  to  Bar- 
num's  Old  Museum,  which  stood  at  the  corner  of 
Broadway  and  Fulton  street.  Among  its  other 
attractions  it  contained  a  theater,  to  which  we 
at  once  obtained  admission.  The  principal  char- 
acter in  the  play  was  a  dashing  highwayman,  who 
rode  and  robbed  in  England,  long  before  the 
United  States  or  the  Stars  and  Stripes  were  ever 
thought  of.  Historical  sequence  was  not  a  part 
of  this  drama,  however,  for  when  its  exciting  situ- 
ations did  not  seem  to  stir  the  audience  quite 


RUMORS  OF  WAR  39 

enough,  a  pretty  actress,  wishing  to  reassure  a 
little  fellow  who  was  fearful  about  crossing  a 
lonely  heath,  caught  up  a  small  American  flag, 
and  throwing  it  over  his  shoulders,  cried,  "Wear 
this  !  It  will  protect  you  anywhere  ! "  Immedi- 
ately there  was  an  outburst  of  patriotism.  The 
whole  audience  sprang  to  its  feet,  shouted, 
stamped,  and  cheered. 

Sunday  morning  some  one  proposed  going  to 
hear  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  and  after  much  noisy 
argument  nearly  all  of  us  put  our  names  down 
on  the  list  as  applicants  for  permission  to  attend 
the  services  at  Plymouth  Church.  Five  or  six 
Southern  boys,  whose  resignations  had  been  sent 
in,  said  they  would  go  with  us,  because  they 
wanted  to  say  when  they  reached  home  that  they 
had  seen  "the  accursed  Abolitionist."  Plymouth 
Church  had  to  accommodate  such  crowds  that 
after  the  pews  were  filled,  seats  at  their  outer 
ends  could  be  turned  down,  taking  up  the  space 
in  the  aisles.  These  seats  had  been  reserved  for 
us,  so  that  when  Mr.  Beecher  reached  his  pulpit, 
he  looked  down  at  two  lines  of  youngsters  in  blue 
jackets  with  brass  buttons,  and  bright  anchors 
on  their  rolling  collars.     Whether  this  addition 


40       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

to  his  congregation  affected  his  sermon  I  cannot 
tell.  I  only  know  that  I  was  in  a  state  of  patri- 
otic ecstasy,  wanting  to  cry  one  moment,  and 
cheer  the  next.  When  we  left  the  church,  and 
fell  into  ranks  outside,  there  was  an  awed  silence. 
At  last  one  of  the  Southerners  said  in  a  husky 
voice,  "Well,  fellows,  I'm  going  South,  all  the 
same.  My  people  are  there,  and  I  still  believe 
we  are  right,  but  you  can  bet  your  life  I'll  never 
curse  that  man  again ! " 

Our  shipmates,  the  soldiers  of  the  8th  Massa- 
chusetts, had  left  us  to  rejoin  their  regiment, 
when  we  reached  the  Navy  Yard,  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  first  class  were  detached  while 
we  were  in  New  York.  On  our  arrival  at  our 
destination,  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  the  second 
class  was  ordered  to  active  service,  and  a  few 
days  later,  the  third  followed.  To  our  great  in- 
dignation, we  learned  that  we  were  to  be  kept  — 
at  any  rate,  until  the  new  appointees  were 
broken  in. 

At  first  it  was  intended  to  quarter  us  in  Fort 
Adams,  and  for  some  months,  though  we  con- 
tinued to  live  on  the  Constitution,  we  did  use  the 
fort's  casemates  for  recitation  rooms,  and  had  our 


RUMORS  OF  WAR  41 

infantry  drill  and  artillery  tactics  on  its  parade 
ground,  or  just  outside  near  the  redoubt.  As 
there  was  no  sloop-of-war  available  for  a  prac- 
tice cruise  then,  and  there  were  not  men  enough 
to  man  a  vessel  of  the  Constitution's  class,  we  re- 
mained that  summer  in  Newport  harbor. 

In  the  meantime,  the  Government  had  secured 
the  Atlantic  House,  which  fronted  on  the  Old 
Stone  Mill  park  and  Belle vue  Avenue,  and  the 
beginning  of  the  academic  year  found  us  quartered 
on  its  second  and  third  floors.  Lieutenant  Rod- 
gers,  now  become  commandant  of  midshipmen, 
occupied  rooms  on  the  first  floor,  while  some  of 
the  ofiicers  who  were  our  instructors  had  quarters 
on  the  second.  The  Constitution  had  been  warped 
into  the  inner  harbor,  and  tied  up  alongside  the 
Goat  Island  wharf.  As  two  midshipmen  had 
been  appointed  from  each  Congressional  district 
for  the  new  fourth  class,  she  had  to  accommodate 
nearly  two  hundred.  A  little  later  in  the  autumn, 
the  frigate  Santee  was  sent  to  Newport,  turned 
into  a  schoolship,  and  was  moored  just  ahead 
of  the  Constitution.  By  the  next  season  we  had 
as  practice  and  training  ships  the  sloops-of-war, 
John  Adams,   Marion,   and   Macedonian,   which 


42       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

had  been  replaced  on  the  blockade  by  vessels 
having  steam  power. 

At  first  we  used  to  drill  in  an  open  field  a  little 
way  out  on  Catherine  Street,  and  later,  when  the 
Atlantic  House  was  filled  with  fourth  classmen 
from  the  ships,  in  a  larger  field  off  Bath  Road, 
back  of  the  old  Ocean  House.  Much  of  this 
ground  is  now  covered  by  fine  residences.  Sat- 
urday forenoons  we  sent  down  spars  on  the  John 
Adams  or  got  the  Marion  under  way,  and  occa- 
sionally, when  she  went  aground,  had  to  spend  our 
precious  Saturday  afternoons  getting  her  afloat. 
Our  great  gun  drills  took  place  on  board  ship,  and 
our  battalion  drills  on  Goat  Island. 

This  island  was  always  particularly  suggestive 
to  me  of  the  animal  for  which  it  was  named,  be- 
cause of  an  allusion  once  made  to  it  by  a  class- 
mate. Prince  Pierre  d'Orleans.  He  was  writing 
an  excuse  for  some  alleged  misconduct  in  ranks, 
and  began  with  this  truly  French  construction, 
"As  we  were  marching  over  to  the  Island  of  the 
Goat." 

D'Orleans,  or  Pete,  as  we  used  to  call  him,  was 
a  grandson  of  King  Louis-Philippe.  His  father, 
the  Prince  de  Joinville,  wished  him  to  receive  a 


RUMORS  OF  WAR  43 

naval  education,  and  as  this  was  impossible  in 
France,  during  the  time  of  the  Second  Empire, 
when  all  the  Bourbons  were  in  exile,  our  Govern- 
ment had  given  him  permission  to  enter  the 
United  States  Naval  Academy.  He  graduated 
and  became  an  ensign,  but  resigned  soon  after- 
wards. The  overthrow  of  the  Empire  enabled 
him  to  return  to  France,  only  to  be  banished  later 
by  a  decree  of  the  Republic. 

If  d'Orleans  felt  himself  a  prince  in  exile,  it 
was  never  obvious.  He  neither  asked  nor  ex- 
pected any  different  treatment  from  that  given 
to  the  other  midshipmen.  The  only  luxuries  he 
allowed  himself  were  two  great  eider-down  pil- 
lows, and  a  very  superior  quality  of  chocolate, 
which  was  sent  him  from  France.  We  approved 
of  the  chocolate;  he  distributed  it  generously; 
but  the  pillows,  which  could  not  be  shared,  were 
not  looked  on  with  favor.  In  fact,  we  felt  that 
like  Carthage,  they  "must  be  destroyed."  To 
effect  this,  the  class  took  a  niean  advantage  of 
Pete's  dread  of  getting  demerits.  He  was  very 
desirous  of  making  a  good  record  while  at  the 
Academy,  and  followed  every  regulation  to  the 
letter. 


44       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Evening  study  hours  ended  at  half-past  nine, 
and  for  the  ensuing  twenty-five  minutes  the  cor- 
ridors of  the  old  Atlantic  House  swarmed  with 
midshipmen  skylarking  in  light  attire.  At  the 
stroke  of  ten,  every  one  was  supposed  to  be  in  bed, 
and  when  five  minutes  before  the  hour  the  drum 
began  to  roll,  Pete  was  always  the  first  to  make  a 
break  for  his  room  and  a  dive  for  his  bed.  One 
night,  while  the  accustomed  frolic  was  going  on, 
two  midshipmen  entered  Pete's  room,  tucked  the 
cherished  pillows  between  the  sheets,  and  cutting 
them  open  turned  them  wrong  side  out.  Five 
minutes  later,  when  the  drum  rolled,  and  Pete 
made  his  usual  home  run,  he  was  followed  by 
every  member  of  the  class.  If  he  was  surprised 
at  this  attention,  he  made  no  comments,  but  turn- 
ing his  back  on  the  crowd,  jumped  into  bed,  and 
immediately  vanished  in  a  swirling  cloud  of 
feathers.  Even  the  next  day  his  room  was  like 
the  center  of  a  snowstorm,  and  for  a  week  after 
the  servants  found  employment  in  chasing  the 
elusive  bits  of  down. 

D'Orleans  took  the  loss  of  his  pillows  with 
philosophy.  In  fact,  it  is  probable  he  could  have 
borne  the  loss  of  many  another  thing  more  easily 


RUMORS  OF  WAR  45 

than  that  of  the  sense  of  equality,  which  enabled 
him  to  be  the  victim  of  such  a  jest.  That  he 
heartily  enjoyed  the  feeling  of  being  just  a  boy 
among  other  boys  was  very  clearly  shown  by  some- 
thing that  occurred  later,  during  our  second  prac- 
tice cruise.  While  we  were  in  England,  d'Orleans 
was  given  leave,  with  permission  to  rejoin  the 
ship  at  Lisbon,  where  he  was  to  visit  some  of 
his  royal  relatives.  On  our  arrival  in  that  port, 
the  King  of  Portugal,  attended  by  a  large  retinue, 
came  on  board,  bringing  d'Orleans  with  him. 
Pete  broke  away  from  his  party  as  soon  as  he 
could,  and  was  on  his  way  forward,  when  he  noticed 
a  classmate  standing  near  the  mainmast,  gazing 
at  royalty,  which  was  making  its  way  along  the 
quarter-deck.  As  a  gentle  means  of  attracting 
his  friend's  attention,  Pete  dealt  him  a  vigorous 
kick  in  the  rear,  and  then  fled.  There  was  at 
once  a  wild  pursuit  up  one  gangway  and  down  the 
other.  D'Orleans  could  easily  have  escaped  by 
taking  refuge  with  his  party  upon  the  quarter- 
deck, but  instead  he  chose  to  be  caught  just 
where  the  mauling  he  received  could  be  seen  to 
the  best  advantage  by  the  king  and  the  scandal- 
ized courtiers. 


46       MY  FIFTY  YEARS   IN  THE  NAVY 

The  instructors  of  whom  I  have  the  clearest 
recollection  during  this  period  at  Newport  were 
Lieutenants  Alfred  T.  Mahan  and  E.  O.  Mat- 
thews. Mahan,  whose  name  has  now  an  inter- 
national reputation  as  an  authority  on  all  mat- 
ters relating  to  naval  strategy  and  sea  power, 
was  then  distinguished  as  being  the  only  graduate 
of  the  Naval  Academy  who  had  completed  the 
course  in  three  years.  This  distinction  was 
later  shared  by  a  number  of  my  date,  and  by  a 
still  greater  number  of  the  next,  who,  spurred  by 
the  hope  of  an  early  promotion,  also  secured  their 
certificates  at  the  close  of  the  third  academic  year. 

Mahan  was  of  a  reserved  nature,  and  had  a 
manner  that  was  rather  apt  to  make  others  feel 
that  they  had  better  keep  their  distance.  I 
remember  my  sense  of  surprise,  when  I  first  no- 
ticed that  he  was  inclined  to  favor  me  in  such 
little  ways  as  an  officer  could.  For  instance,  on 
the  practice  cruise,  when  he  was  executive  officer, 
I  was  released  from  all  other  duties  during  drill, 
except  the  very  easy  one  of  standing  near  him, 
and  repeating  his  orders  on  the  gun  and  berth 
decks.  This  position  of  a  sort  of  aide  to  him 
carried    with   it   certain   privileges    about   shore 


RUMORS  OF  WAR  47 

leave,  which  he  assumed  I  was  entitled  to,  and 
these  practical  evidences  of  kindly  feeling  in- 
spired a  very  genuine  attachment  on  my  part. 

Lieutenant  Matthews  was  of  a  totally  differ- 
ent stamp.  We  midshipmen  found  him  very 
companionable,  and  his  only  great  fault  in  our 
estimation  was  his  fatal  ability.  Languages, 
mathematics,  or  navigation  —  all  were  the  same 
to  him.  If  one  of  the  regular  instructors  hap- 
pened to  be  absent,  there  was  no  hope  of  missing 
the  recitation.  "Pat"  Matthews  not  only  could, 
but  did,  take  the  absentee's  place.  In  spite  of  his 
intellectual  attainments,  he  was  very  modest,  and 
if  he  was  ever  found  at  a  ball,  it  was  usually  be- 
hind a  group  of  bashful  youngsters,  who  listened 
with  respectful  attention  and  real  enjoyment  to 
his  stories  of  the  service.  If  we  had  not  seen  this 
side  of  him  at  Annapolis,  we  should  have  thought 
him  a  terror,  when  we  were  on  our  way  up  the 
Jersey  coast  in  the  Constitution.  Indeed,  he  was 
the  only  officer  I  ever  knew  who  actually  threat- 
ened us  with  personal  violence.  I  can  see  him 
now  —  he  was  almost  diminutive  in  stature  — 
brandishing  a  small  tin  deck  trumpet,  his  thin 
voice  raised  into  what  he  fancied  was  a  roar. 


48       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

"Haul  away  now!"  he  would  shrill.  "Never 
mind  looking  aloft  there !  I'll  do  that,  and  you 
do  the  rest!  If  you  don't  haul,  I'll  break  all 
your  heads ! " 

Or  on  the  gun  deck,  if  he  chanced  to  run  against 
a  crowd  of  us,  it  was,  "Gangway  there!  Gang- 
way !  Get  out  of  my  way,  or  I'll  knock  you  all 
down!"  and  then  as  he  pushed  his  way  along, 
breathing  threatenings  and  slaughter,  we  could 
see  the  back  of  his  neck  reddening  at  our  affected 
alarm  and  only  half  repressed  laughter. 

At  recitation  he  required  not  only  correct  but 
prompt  answers.  Delay,  besides  affecting  the 
value  of  the  mark,  was  apt  to  expose  us  to  sar- 
castic comment. 

"Mr.  Clark,"  he  asked  me  one  day,  "how  do 
you  take  in  a  mainsail,  blowing  fresh  ?  Promptly 
now!" 

"Well,  sir,  I  would  man  the  main-clew  garnets 
and  buntlines  — "a  pause. 

"Of  course.     Go  ahead  !     Go  ahead!" 

"Yes,  sir.  Then  I  would  slack  off  a  little  of 
the  sheet,  and  then,  then  —  I — " 

"No  use  doing  anything  more!"  he  snapped. 
"By  this  time  your  mainsail's  all  blown  to  pieces  !" 


]\ridsliipnicn  G.  T.  Davis,  F.  A.  Cook  and  C.  E.  Clark,  before 
leaving  the  Academy  for  Active  Service 


RUMORS  OF  WAR  49 

Such  being  his  style,  it  may  be  easily  imagined 
that  the  following  episode  was  much  relished  by 
those  who  were  in  the  section  room  at  the  time. 
The  midshipman  who  was  being  questioned  on 
this  occasion  was  invited  to  consider  himself 
officer  of  the  deck  of  a  full-rigged  frigate  like  the 
Wahash,  while  "I,"  continued  Matthews,  "am 
her  captain.  We  are  walking  up  and  down  to- 
gether, and  all  the  officers  except  ourselves  are 
two  decks  below.  We  are  under  all  plain  sail  to 
t'gallant  sails,  the  royals  being  in,  and  running 
ten  knots  before  the  wind.  Now,"  with  a  rush, 
"I'm  overboard!     Quick!     What'd  you  do?" 

"Why,  I'd  set  the  royals,  and  try  to  make  eleven 
knots!"  was  the  reply,  delivered  without  a 
moment's  hesitation. 

Matthews  looked  a  little  nonplussed,  but  before 
the  general  laugh  subsided,  he  had  recovered 
himself. 

"Capital!"  he  cried.  "Prompt  and  decisive! 
But  now  suppose  it  was  your  roommate  who  fell 
overboard  !     What  would  you  do  then  ?  " 

My  roommates  at  the  Academy  during  my 
second  year  on  shore  were  Francis  A.  Cook  and 
George    Thornton    Davis.     We    were    congenial 


50       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

spirits  with  much  the  same  ideas  as  to  the  relative 
value  of  study  and  such  pleasure  as  could  be 
found  in  a  much  regulated  Academy  existence. 
Our  association  may  not  have  been  profitable  as 
far  as  our  class  standing  was  concerned,  but  it 
is  pleasant  to  look  back  upon,  and  lasted  through 
the  years.  Cook  and  I  were  comrades  at  the 
battle  of  Santiago,  in  which  it  is  perhaps  super- 
fluous to  mention  he  had  command  of  the  flag- 
ship Brooklyn,  and  received  the  surrender  of  the 
Colon.  Davis,  whose  ill  health  obliged  him  to 
retire  some  time  before  the  outbreak  of  the 
Spanish-American  War,  yet  had  the  good  fortune 
during  our  Civil  War  to  be  in  the  largest  landing 
expedition  ever  organized  by  our  navy,  that  is,  the 
assault  upon  Fort  Fisher,  in  which  he  distinguished 
himself,  being  the  only  regular  oiBScer  to  penetrate 
beyond  the  stockade.^ 

1  See  reports  of  Cushman  and  Parker,  Naval  War  Records. 


CHAPTER  III 

The  First  Cruise 

We  made  our  first  real  practice  cruise,  during 
the  summer  of  1862,  in  the  sloop-of-war  John 
Adams,  with  Commander  Edward  Simpson  as 
captain.  We  ran  first  into  Gardiner's  Bay,  for 
a  kind  of  shake-down,  as  the  saying  goes,  and 
then  sailed  for  Hampton  Roads.  There  we  felt 
that  we  were  really  in  touch  with  the  war,  for 
General  McClellan  was  then  making  his  way  up 
the  Peninsula,  and  Fortress  Monroe  was  a  base 
of  operations.  The  battle  of  Fair  Oaks  had  just 
been  fought,  Norfolk  taken  possession  of,  and 
the  once  formidable  Merrimac  —  after  her  defeat 
by  the  Monitor  —  had  been  sunk  by  the  Confed- 
erates themselves,  before  making  their  retreat. 
We  knew  that  some  distance  above  our  anchorage 
lay  the  wrecks  of  the  Congress  and  the  Cumber- 
land,  mute  witnesses  to  the  gallantry  and  endur- 
ance of  our  navy.     The  one  had  been  burned  to 

51 


52       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

the  water's  edge,  and  the  other  had  gone  down 
with  her  flag  still  flying.  Although  I  had  not 
then  read  Longfellow's  beautiful  tribute  to  the 
Cumberland,  I  knew  that  the  Prince  de  Joinville 
had  said  on  seeing  her  mastheads,  just  showing 
above  the  surface  of  the  water,  *'They  ought  to 
stand  forever,  a  monument  over  the  graves  of 
the  wooden  ships ! "  And  it  seemed  to  me  — 
I  was  even  at  that  age  a  great  lover  of  Greek 
history  —  that  the  spirits  of  the  heroes  who  fought 
at  "divine  Salamis"  must  have  inspired  the 
defenders  of  the  last  of  the  "wooden  walls." 

To  those  who  like  to  trace  coincidences,  the 
careers  of  two  officers  of  the  Cumberland  will 
present  some  interesting  features.  They  were 
Lieutenants  Selfridge  and  Stuyvesant,  who 
graduated  at  the  heads  of  their  respective  classes 
at  the  Academy,  and  were  on  the  gun  deck  of  the 
Cumberland  when  she  went  down.  Selfridge  later 
commanded  the  Cairo.  She  was  destroyed  by  a 
torpedo.  Then  he  was  sent  to  the  Conestoga, 
and  she  was  sunk  by  a  ram.  Stuyvesant  became 
executive  of  the  Weehawken,  which  was  blown 
up  by  a  torpedo  while  lying  off  Charleston,  then 
of  the  Wateree,  wrecked  by  an  earthquake  wave 


THE  FIRST  CRUISE  53 

at  Arica.  After  these  experiences,  they  seemed 
to  have  exhausted  their  ill  luck,  fortunately  for 
the  service  as  well  as  for  themselves. 

From  Hampton  Roads  we  proceeded  to  the 
anchorage  off  Yorktown,  where  we  visited  the 
fortifications  and  siege  works,  and  also  saw  those 
of  the  Revolutionary  period,  and  the  headquarters 
of  General  Cornwallis.  The  field  hospitals  were 
crowded  with  the  sick  and  the  wounded  brought 
back  from  the  front.  It  was  my  first  sight  of  the 
real  horrors  of  war,  and  made  a  deep  impression ; 
the  crowded  condition  of  the  hospitals,  the  heat, 
the  swarms  of  flies,  and  the  terrible  suffering, 
which  there  were  so  few  comforts  to  relieve.  If 
war  had  its  glories,  here  was  the  reverse  of  the 
medal. 

From  Yorktown  we  sailed  to  Port  Royal, 
South  Carolina,  keeping  outside  the  line  of 
blockaders.  In  the  Entrance,  as  the  harbor  is 
called,  we  found  the  old  ship  of  the  line  Vermont 
and  the  steam  frigate  Wabash,  the  flagship  of 
Admiral  Dupont,  and  commanded  by  his  chief- 
of -staff,  our  former  commandant,  C.  R.  P.  Rodgers. 

Returning  north,  the  John  Adams,  a  dull 
sailer,   had  the  advantage  of  the  Gulf  Stream 


54       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

nearly  all  the  way.  We  ran  up  Long  Island 
Sound  as  far  as  Oyster  Bay,  which  I  particularly 
remember  as  the  place  where  the  Great  Eastern 

—  that  first  experiment  in   colossal   shipbuilding 

—  passed  us.  We  touched  at  New  Haven,  where 
we  all  went  in  a  body  to  the  home  of  Rear  Admiral 
Foote,  to  pay  our  respects.  He  was  then  on 
leave,  recovering  from  a  wound  received  during 
his  service  on  the  Mississippi,  where  he  had  so 
greatly  distinguished  himself. 

After  our  return  to  Newport,  we  were  granted 
a  month's  leave. 

Our  second  practice  cruise  —  a  more  extended 
one  —  was  in  the  corvette  Macedonian,  in  the 
summer  of  1863.  Our  captain  was  Commander 
Stephen  B.  Luce,  an  authority  on  seamanship, 
as  I  have  already  remarked.  We  ran  across  the 
North  Atlantic,  making  our  first  port  at  Plym- 
outh, England,  where  we  stayed  several  days. 
D'Orleans'  father,  the  Prince  de  Joinville,  visited 
the  ship  while  we  were  there.  He  was  a  man  of 
genial  manners,  and  must  have  had  a  well  devel- 
oped sense  of  humor,  for  I  remember  his  telling 
with  considerable  unction  of  an  experience  of 
Prince   Alfred's,   then   a   midshipman   on   board 


THE  FIRST  CRUISE  55 

H.M.S.  Euryalus.  The  throne  of  Greece  offered 
to  him  had  been  declined,  but  his  messmates, 
determined  the  occasion  should  not  pass  un- 
marked, constructed  a  diadem  of  tallow  and  slush, 
"and,"  ended  the  French  prince,  rubbing  his 
hands  gleefully,  "  they  have  mount  him  on  a 
table,  and  have  crown  him  King  of  Grease ! " 

I  dare  say  many  things  more  worthy  of  recol- 
lection during  our  stay  in  Plymouth  will  be  for- 
gotten before  the  memory  of  her  wonderful 
strawberries  and  clotted  cream.  The  bumboat 
women. brought  these  dainties  off  to  the  ship  in 
large  quantities  and  never  had  any  trouble  in 
disposing  of  them. 

From  Plymouth  we  ran  up  the  Channel  to  Port- 
land, and  later  we  went  to  Spithead.  While  at 
Spithead,  I  was  given  four  or  five  days'  leave  to 
visit  London,  in  company  with  Midshipman 
Nicoll  Ludlow  and  the  captain's  clerk,  Harris. 
Ludlow  and  I,  having  only  money  enough  to 
make  the  trip,  could  not  afford  to  purchase 
citizen's  clothes,  and  were  obliged  to  wear  our 
uniform  jackets  and  caps.  We  considered  this 
quite  an  affliction,  and  were  the  m_ore  pleased  to 
have  Mr.  Harris  with  us,  as  we  felt  that  his  years 


56       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

and  frock  coat  gave  an  air  of  dignity  to  the  party. 
We  were  to  find,  however,  that  our  brass  buttons 
were  our  best  asset,  and  procured  us  an  entrance 
to  places  that  even  a  golden  key  would  not  have 
unlocked. 

At  Morley's  Hotel,  Trafalgar  Square,  where 
we  took  rooms,  an  elderly  Englishman,  who 
overheard  us  in  the  coffee-room  making  our  plans 
for  the  day,  became  interested,  and  coming  over 
to  our  table,  entered  into  the  discussion.  Having 
a  thorough  acquaintance  with  London,  he  was 
able  to  lay  out  a  schedule  for  us  that  was  of  the 
greatest  value,  and  it  was  largely  owing  to  him 
that  we  managed  to  see  as  much  in  our  four  or 
five  days  as  many  people  do  in  a  month. 

Our  little  naval  delegation  had  no  idea  of  calling 
at  the  Legation,  but  the  Secretary  came  to  see  us, 
and  when  we  went  in  return  to  pay  our  respects 
to  Mr.  Adams,  the  Minister,  he  gave  us  cards  of 
admission  to  the  House  of  Commons.  This  was 
a  privilege  we  had  not  looked  for,  but  we  were 
to  be  more  fortunate  still.  We  were  passing 
through  one  of  the  corridors  of  the  House  of 
Commons,  when  a  young  Englishman,  whose 
eye  had  evidently  been  caught  by  the  American 


THE  FIRST  CRUISE  57 

uniform,  stopped  us  and  introduced  himself. 
He  told  us  he  was  the  nephew  of  a  peer  —  Lord 
Castlereagh,  I  think  it  was  —  and  if  we  wished 
to  visit  the  Gallery  of  the  House  of  Lords  he 
would  be  glad  to  get  us  an  invitation.  He  not 
only  did  this,  but  went  with  us  to  the  Gallery  and 
made  our  visit  doubly  interesting  by  pointing 
out  the  leading  statesmen,  such  as  Lords  Palmer- 
ston,  Russell,  and  Derby,  and  others  whose  names 
I  do  not  now  remember. 

Of  course  we  visited  Madame  Tussaud's  Wax 
Works,  and  one  of  the  relics  there  which  greatly 
excited  our  interest  was  Napoleon's  traveling 
carriage,  captured  at  Waterloo.  While  we  were 
gazing  at  it,  a  custodian  invited  us  to  crawl  under 
the  rope,  and  enter  the  coach  if  we  wished.  The 
seats  were  arranged  to  form  a  bed  on  one  side, 
when  swung  about,  and  I  remember  wishing 
Will  Rogers  could  me  see,  as  I  stretched  myself 
out  on  the  cushions  where  the  great  conqueror 
used  to  sleep. 

We  had  another  pleasant  experience  when  we 
went  to  see  Windsor  Castle.  We  climbed  the 
Round  Tower  there  with  a  number  of  other  people, 
and  there  was  a  general  request  for  permission 


58       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

to  ascend  the  Square  Tower,  which  rose  above  it. 
This  was  refused,  but  as  we  were  leaving  with  the 
others,  a  gentleman  of  military  bearing,  whom 
we  had  heard  addressed  as  Colonel  Albert,  whis- 
pered to  us  to  wait,  and  after  the  rest  had  gone, 
he  would  take  us  up  the  Square  Tower.  He  said 
we  were  the  first  American  naval  officers  he  had 
seen  in  uniform  at  Windsor  since  the  officers  of 
the  Niagara  had  been  entertained  there.  This 
was  after  the  laying  of  the  first  Atlantic  cable 
by  that  ship  and  H.M.S.  Agamemnon.  From 
the  top  of  the  tower  he  pointed  out  Eton  College, 
Runnymede,  and  the  church  made  so  famous 
by  Gray's  Elegy.  His  courtesy  and  kindness 
converted  what  might  have  been  an  ordinary  sight- 
seeing expedition  into  a  living  and  happy  memory. 

We  had  a  strong  desire  to  visit  the  Arsenal  at 
Woolwich,  but  when  we  went  to  the  War  Office 
with  our  request,  the  official  to  whom  we  applied 
said,  "No,  you  will  have  to  come  to-morrow. 
Tuesdays  and  Thursdays  are  the  only  days  visitors 
are  admitted." 

We  told  him  that  this  was  our  last  opportunity, 
for  our  leave  was  up  the  next  day,  and  we  had  to 
return  to  our  ship. 


THE  FIRST  CRUISE  59 

"Where  is  your  ship?"  he  asked. 

"At  Spithead." 

"Well,"  said  he,  after  thinking  a  moment, 
"you'll  have  to  know  about  these  things  some 
day,  at  any  rate,  so  perhaps  I  had  better  let  you 
go."  He  made  out  and  signed  two  cards  of 
admission  for  us,  and  we  thanked  him,  and  hurried 
off,  but  discovered  on  examining  them,  outside, 
that  they  referred  to  us  as  English  subjects.  We 
returned  and  told  him  of  the  error,  and  for  a 
moment  he  was  in  quite  a  rage  with  us  for  having 
been  the  cause  of  it.  When  he  finally  paused  for 
breath,  we  ventured  to  remind  him  that  we  had 
not  taken  advantage  of  his  mistake,  and  then  the 
wind  veered,  and  the  choleric  old  gentleman  was 
disposed  to  give  us  so  much  credit  for  our  honesty 
that  we  were  quite  embarrassed,  for  we  perfectly 
understood  that  oUr  American  uniforms  would 
never  have  passed  unquestioned  at  the  Arsenal. 
However,  our  partisan,  as  he  had  now  become, 
declared  that  we  should  go  now  if  it  took  a  special 
order  to  the  commandant,  and  he  wrote  one  for 
us.  Its  presentation  caused  some  little  excite- 
ment and  consultation  among  the  officials  there, 
but  when  they  at  last  decided  to  admit  us,  it 


60       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

was  in  royal  fashion,  and  the  Arsenal  was  prac- 
tically ours.  Several  officers  were  detailed  to 
escort  us,  and  we  were  frankly  told  that  we  must 
not  attempt  any  sketches.  In  fact,  that  our 
escorts  would  be  held  responsible  for  seeing  that 
we  did  not.  Said  one,  *'  We  are  going  to  fill  you 
so  full  of  information,  you  won't  know  anything 
about  what  you  have  seen,"  and  this  was  no  idle 
boast.  They  even  started  the  largest  of  their 
trip  hammers  for  us,  to  show  their  enormous  power, 
and  then  cracked  filberts  beneath  them  to  show 
how  delicately  they  could  strike.  It  would 
have  taken  a  trained  head  to  carry  away  any 
connected  ideas  from  the  amount  we  saw,  and 
it  certainly  would  have  been  an  ungrateful  spirit 
that  could  have  taken  advantage  of  the  more 
than  courteous  treatment  that  we  had  received 
both  at  the  War  Office  and  Arsenal. 

Naturally,  we  went  to  St.  Paul's  Cathedral, 
and  equally  of  course  our  first  object  of  interest 
there  was  the  tomb  of  Nelson  in  the  crypt.  It 
pleased  us  to  remark  that  the  "greatest  sailor 
since  the  world  began"  occupied  the  place  of 
honor,  rather  than  the  Iron  Duke.  W^hen  we 
mounted  to  the  cupola  to  visit  the  famous  Whis- 


THE  FIRST  CRUISE  61 

pering  Gallery,  the  custodian  who  accompanied 
us  suggested,  with  a  smiling  glance  at  our  uni- 
forms, that  he  could  give  us  an  unusual  privilege, 
which  as  we  were  used  to  climbing  would  not  be 
likely  to  turn  our  heads.  He  then  explained 
that  the  ball  and  cross  that  crowned  the  dome, 
at  a  height  of  four  hundred  and  four  feet  above 
the  floor  of  the  cathedral,  were  being  regilded, 
and  if  we  cared  to,  he  would  allow  us  to  climb  up 
and  touch  the  cross.  It  was  not  in  the  nature  of 
boys  to  refuse  such  a  chance,  but  I  must  confess 
that  the  experience  I  had  had  aloft  on  the  Mace- 
donian had  not  quite  prepared  me  for  what  was 
before  us.  The  ex-sailor  who  was  carrying  on 
the  work,  told  us  that  a  few  weeks  previous, 
when  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  were 
married,  he  had  set  off  fireworks  from  the  cross. 
He  then  opened  a  window  for  us,  and  with  some- 
what cooling  ardor,  we  began  to  climb  by  a  dan- 
gling rope  ladder  over  the  eaves  of  the  cupola, 
which  seemed  inhospitably  trying  to  crowd  us 
off.  The  ascent  of  the  little  ladder  leading  to 
the  top  of  the  cross  was  straightaway  work  in 
comparison,  and  the  view  of  the  city  spread  out 
at   our   feet   was   truly   impressive,    though   the 


62       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

thought  of  the  return  trip  robbed  it  of  some  of  its 
charm. 

Years  afterwards,  when  I  revisited  London 
as  a  grizzled  rear  admiral,  I  was  riding  about  the 
city  with  my  family,  on  what  my  little  grand- 
daughter called  the  "roof  garden  of  an  omnibus", 
and  was  doing  my  best  to  point  out  the  places 
I  had  seen  as  a  midshipman.  A  gentleman 
seated  near  us  kindly  undertook  to  help  me,  and 
as  we  drew  near  Ludgate  Hill,  he  observed, 
"Now  you  will  see  St.  Paul's."  Then,  as  it 
came  in  sight,  he  spoke  of  the  Whispering  Gallery, 
and  added  that  if  we  wished,  we  could  climb 
into  the  cupola  above  the  dome. 

"Oh,  yes!"  I  said,  "but  I  have  been  above 
that." 

With  a  look  that  said  plainly,  "You  evidently 
do  not  understand,"  he  pointed  again  to  the 
dome,  and  remarked,  "You  can  only  go  as  high 
as  those  windows." 

"But  I  climbed  out  of  one,"  I  persisted,  "and 
went  up  above  the  ball,"  — 

I  never  got  any  farther  with  my  explana- 
tion, for  at  this  point  he  stopped  the  omni- 
bus and  departed,  throwing  me  a  glance  in  which 


THE  FIRST  CRUISE  63 

incredulity  and  disgust  were  about  equally 
mingled. 

We  ran  over  to  Cherbourg  from  Spithead,  and 
there  a  number  of  us  were  given  leave  to  go  to 
Paris.  We  could  not  have  seen  that  fair  city  at 
a  more  opportune  time.  Louis  Napoleon  was 
then  in  the  heyday  of  his  fortunes,  the  empress 
was  remarkable  for  her  beauty,  and  the  court 
and  capital  were  the  most  brilliant  in  Europe. 

Our  hotel  had  two  names  and  two  entrances. 
The  one  fronting  on  the  Rue  St.  Honore  bore 
the  name  of  "St.  James",  while  the  other,  facing 
the  Tuileries,  called  itself  the  "Hotel  de  Rivoli", 
thus  appealing  equally  to  French  and  English 
patronage.  The  French  side  was  most  in  favor 
with  us,  because  there  we  had  a  fine  position  for 
observing  the  reviews  of  troops  and  whatever 
was  going  on  opposite  us  at  the  Tuileries.  Our 
uniforms  and  generally  bad  French  attracted 
some  attention  as  we  went  about,  but  there  was 
no  positive  partiality  shown  us,  as  in  London. 

I  had  always  regarded  the  French  language 
as  solely  designed  to  harrow  the  feelings  of  mid- 
shipmen and  to  prevent  them  from  securing  a 
good  class  standing,   and  I  can  still   remember 


64       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

the  vague  surprise  I  felt  on  coming  into  contact 
with  it  as  a  practicable  tongue,  and  in  finding 
that  even  /  could  make  myself  understood  occa- 
sionally. This  was  quite  encouraging,  but  any 
little  pride  I  may  have  felt  soon  had  a  severe  fall. 
One  day,  in  a  small  restaurant  on  one  of  the 
boulevards,  I  fell  in  with  several  members  of 
the  junior  class,  who  were  in  trouble.  Mine 
host  had  charged  them  with  a  chicken,  which 
they  vowed  had  never  appeared  except  in  the 
bill.  They  appealed  to  me  to  interpret  for  them, 
and  I  was  so  flattered  at  being  retained  in  the 
case,  that  I  took  the  matter  up  at  once.  The 
more  I  talked,  the  wilder  became  the  protests 
and  gesticulations  of  the  proprietor.  At  last  an 
Englishman,  who  had  been  an  amused  witness 
of  our  difficulties,  offered  to  mediate.  The  story 
goes  —  though  I  shall  not  vouch  for  the  truth  of 
it  —  that  the  Frenchman  had  for  some  time 
contended  that  he  would  rather  lose  the  price  of 
ten  chickens   than  hear  me  talk  French. 

Of  the  sight-seeing  that  we  did  in  Paris,  I 
remember  best  one  pleasant  afternoon  at  the 
Invalides,  where  we  all  went  in  a  body.  At  first 
there  was  a  slight  hint  of  frost  in  the  air  which 


THE  FIRST  CRUISE  65 

we  could  not  account  for,  until  it  occurred  to 
one  bright  spirit  in  our  party  that  the  old  Na- 
poleonic veterans  who  acted  as  doorkeepers  and 
guides,  and  seemed  to  be  the  molders  of  public 
opinion,  supposed  that  we  were  Englishmen. 
When  this  misunderstanding  was  cleared  up, 
there  was  a  decided  reaction  in  our  favor.  One 
of  the  repentant  veterans  even  insisted  on  taking 
us  to  the  Governor's  office  and  presenting  us 
to  him.  In  the  course  of  a  conversation,  pursued 
with  some  difficulty  I  must  admit,  one  of  our 
number  happened  to  remark  that  although 
Americans,  we  came  from  an  English  ship;  one 
that  had  been  captured  by  the  American  frigate 
United  States,  during  the  War  of  1812.i  The  old 
Governor  immediately  became  enthusiastic,  and 
was  not  satisfied  until  he  had  heard  and  recorded 
in  a  journal  all  we  could  tell  him  about  the  battle 
between  the  United  States  and  the  Macedonian, 
He  himself  went  with  us  to  the  tomb  of  Napoleon, 

1  Thirty-eight  years  later,  the  gifted  Doctor  S.  Weir  Mitchell  gave 
me  a  sheave-shaped  box,  with  gold  engraved  plate,  which  bore  the 
name  Macedonian,  saying  he  valued  it  greatly,  and  therefore  took  the 
more  pleasure  in  presenting  it  to  me.  It  had  been  given  him  sixty 
years  before  by  Commodore  Biddle,  and  was  made  of  a  splinter  torn 
from  the  side  of  the  Macedonian  during  the  battle  in  which  she  was 
captured. 


66       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

which  was  of  course  the  main  object  of  our  visit, 
and  pointing  out  an  English  flag  that  hung  among 
the  captured  trophies,  gave  "perfidious  Albion" 
such  a  broadside  of  invective,  that  it  was  evident 
Inkerman  and  Sebastopol  had  not  suflSced  to 
make  him  forget  Waterloo. 

It  was  somehow  borne  in  upon  us  that  the 
veterans  were  not  loath  to  accept  our  franc  pieces, 
and  when  it  came  to  a  survivor  of  the  Old  Guard, 
we  felt  we  could  not  well  offer  him  less  than  a 
crown.  I  suppose  every  old  fellow  turned  seventy 
was  run  in  on  us,  as  a  veteran  of  Austerlitz, 
Borodino,  or  Dresden.  I  do  not  remember 
hearing  of  any  from  Waterloo  or  Leipsic,  however. 

This  tribute  to  valor  caused  a  financial  deficit 
in  our  party  and  necessitated  the  floating  of  a 
loan.  Two  or  three  of  the  midshipmen,  whose 
parents  were  known  to  Mr.  Dayton,  the  American 
Minister,  and  to  some  of  the  Paris  bankers,  con- 
trived to  raise  several  hundred  dollars,  which 
were  used  as  a  common  fund.  This  enabled  us 
to  remain  some  days  longer  in  Paris,  and  also 
got  us  into  trouble  with  our  captain.  When  we 
obtained  our  leave,  he  had  advised  us  to  buy 
return  tickets,  and  then  stay  as  long  as  our  money 


THE  FIRST  CRUISE  67 

lasted,  as  some  of  us  perhaps  would  never  have  a 
chance  to  see  Paris  again.  He  thought  he  knew 
the  state  of  our  finances,  but  with  this  additional 
fund  we  managed  to  outstay  him  by  a  couple  of 
days,  and  when  we  did  return  to  the  ship,  our 
reception  was  not  altogether  pleasant.  When 
we  recalled  his  suggestions,  he  said  we  knew  per- 
fectly well  what  he  meant,  but  to  avoid  further 
misunderstandings,  he  would  keep  us  on  board 
ship  for  the  rest  of  the  cruise.  So  my  impressions 
of  Cadiz  and  Lisbon,  where  we  afterwards  touched, 
were  limited  to  what  I  could  observe  from  the 
deck  of  the  Macedonian. 

While  in  Paris,  we  had  seen  several  Confederate 
officers,  who  were  either  on  leave  from  one  of 
their  cruisers,  or  had  crossed  the  Atlantic  in 
blockade  runners,  and  were  ready  to  join  anything 
that  might  be  fitting  out.  We  recognized  two 
or  three  of  our  former  classmates  among  them 
and  would  gladly  have  renewed  acquaintance, 
but  their  senior  officer  and  our  captain  objected 
to  our  associating  in  any  way.  Rumor  had  it 
that  the  Confederate  cruiser  Florida  had  arrived 
at  Brest,  and  as  it  was  well  known  that  the  French 
harbors   were  much  in  use  for  the  refitting  of 


68       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Southern  men-of-war,  it  was  natural  that  Captain 
Luce  in  such  a  neighborhood  should  feel  it  neces- 
sary to  take  every  precaution.  We  realized  this, 
even  while  we  felt  it  a  trifle  hard  that  we  were  not 
allowed  to  speak  to  our  old  comrades. 

As  it  turned  out,  neither  the  Florida  nor  Ala- 
hama  was  in  European  waters  at  that  time,  but 
their  possible  presence  caused  a  great  deal  of 
speculation  among  the  midshipmen,  as  to  the 
results  should  one  or  both  of  them  attack  us 
during  a  calm,  when  their  steam  power  would 
enable  them  to  take  an  advantageous  position. 
The  Macedonian  had  eight  64-pounders  and  four 
32-pounders  on  her  gun  deck  and  two  100- 
pounder  rifled  pivot  guns  on  her  spar  deck.  One 
of  these  last  could  be  fired  right  ahead,  and  the 
other  astern,  while  two  of  the  64s  could  be  shifted 
forward  to  the  bridle  ports  and  two  or  three  to  the 
stern  cabin  ports.  So  we  felt  we  could  put  up 
a  stiff  fight,  even  if  the  wind  failed  us.  We  had 
fine  officers,  and  Captain  Luce  could  handle  the 
Macedonian  like  a  yacht.  Though  probably 
better  informed  than  we  of  the  whereabouts  of 
the  enemy's  ships,  he  must  have  done  a  little 
speculating   too,    for   immediately   after   leaving 


THE  FIRST  CRUISE  69 

Cherbourg,  he  had  the  royal  poles  cut  off,  and 
some  other  changes  made  to  give  the  ship  as 
much  the  appearance  of  an  English  one  as  possi- 
ble. If  I  recollect  rightly,  we  also  ran  up  Eng- 
lish colors  on  one  or  two  occasions.  Thus  dis- 
guised, we  might  reasonably  hope  to  lure  an 
enemy  near  enough  to  pour  in  one  or  two  effective 
broadsides  at  the  start. 

Late  one  afternoon,  near  Cape  Finisterre,  a 
steamer  with  braced-up  yards  overhauled  us 
slowly,  coming  up  astern.  The  captain  may 
have  had  his  suspicions  of  her,  or  he  may  have 
wished  to  startle  us  a  little  —  he  had  a  great 
liking  for  practical  jokes.  At  any  rate,  he  chose 
about  the  time  when  she  might  be  reckoned  on 
to  overtake  us,  to  exercise  us  at  clearing  ship  for 
action,  and  going  to  night  quarters. 

After  visiting  the  ports  of  Lisbon  and  Cadiz, 
we  ran  over  to  Funchal,  Madeira.  There,  as  a 
party  of  the  unquarantined  were  leaving  the 
ship.  Lieutenant  Mahan,  seeing  me  standing 
near  the  rail,  said  with  a  friendly  nod,  "Don't 
forget  to  be  back  by  sunset,"  and  as  I  could  not 
logically  return  without  having  gone,  I  waited 
for  no  further  encouragement,  but  joyfully  joined 


70       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

the  others,  and  had  a  fine  coast  in  one  of  the 
famous  sledges  of  Madeira  to  add  to  my  experi- 
ences. 

From  Funchal,  we  steered  about  southwest, 
until  we  struck  the  trades,  and  then  for  days  we 
ran  with  all  sail  set,  scarcely  touching  a  brace. 
A  storm  and  thick  weather  came  on,  as  we  neared 
Sandy  Hook  —  or  what  we  supposed  to  be  Sandy 
Hook,  for  we  had  not  been  able  to  take  observa- 
tions for  some  days  —  and  we  ran  to  the  east- 
ward. I  did  not  know  —  and  probably  no  one 
else  did  —  how  far  we  were  from  the  land,  but 
as  the  gale  was  from  the  south.  Long  Island  was 
a  lee  shore.  It  was  our  first  experience  in  carry- 
ing sail  to  escape  to  windward,  and  we  found 
it  a  very  thrilling  one.  We  were  under  reefed 
topsails,  and  once,  when  the  ship  laid  over  so  far 
it  seemed  to  us  a  question  if  she  could  right, 
Mahan,  the  first  lieutenant,  was  about  to  slack 
the  lee-topsail  sheets,  but  Captain  Luce,  who 
must  have  known  what  she  could  do,  and  did  not 
want  to  lose  an  inch  of  sea  room,  told  him  to  hold 
on,  and  the  good  ship  justified  his  belief  in  her. 

We  did  not  remain  long  in  New  York  and  when 
we  left  there  for  Newport,  we  were  towed  into 


THE  FIRST  CRUISE  71 

Long  Island  Sound  by  the  steamer  Freeborn. 
As  a  dead  calm  fell  with  night,  she  kept  on  with 
us.  We  were  proceeding  smoothly,  when  all  at 
once  the  silence  was  broken  by  a  startling  crash. 
A  tall  mast  appeared  out  of  the  darkness,  and 
stood  for  an  instant,  outlined  against  our  cathead, 
and  braced-up  fore  and  fore-topsail  yards.  Then 
a  sloop,  her  men  struggling  under  the  sail  and 
falling  hamper,  scraped  along  our  side,  severing 
the  Freeborn's  tow  ropes  and  cutting  her  clear. 
We  rescued  the  crew  of  the  sloop  before  she 
sank;  and  her  captain,  when  asked  why  he  was 
drifting  about  in  that  fashion,  with  neither  lights 
nor  lookouts,  answered  that  he  had  seen  the 
Sound  boats  go  past,  and  supposing  there  would 
be  no  more  steamers  that  night,  had  lashed  the 
helm  over,  and  one  and  all  had  gone  to  sleep. 

We  worked  the  Macedonian  into  the  harbor 
of  Newport  during  the  midwatch,  tacking  re- 
peatedly; everybody  stood  with  the  gear  led 
out,  ready  to  raise  the  clews  and  swing  the  yards, 
whenever  the  lookout  on  the  jib  boom  end  sighted 
the  beach,  and  shouted  "Hard  a-lee !" 

In  spite  of  being  dog-tired,  we  all  felt  a  thorough 
sense  of  enjoyment  of  such  a    performance  in 


72       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

seamanship.  It  was  virtually  the  last  experience 
of  our  academic  careers,  for  our  detachments 
sent  by  the  Department  were  waiting  for  us  on 
shore. 

The  new  commandant  of  midshipmen,  from 
whom  we  received  our  detachments,  was  Com- 
mander D.  M.  Fairfax.  He  was  a  Virginian,  and 
it  was  said,  when  Virginia  seceded,  he  remarked 
despondently  to  this  wife,  "Well,  the  State  to 
which  we  both  belong  has  gone  out  of  the  Union.' 
She  answered  with  spirit,  taking  both  his  hands  in 
hers  —  "Donald  McNeil  Fairfax,  we  don't  belong 
to  any  State !  You  belong  to  the  whole  country, 
and  I  belong  to  you." 

Fairfax  was  the  officer  sent  by  Wilkes  on  board 
the  Trent  to  take  off  the  commissioners.  Mason 
and  Slidell,  and  transfer  them  to  the  San  Jacinto. 
They  were  still  on  board  the  San  Jacinto  when  she 
came  into  the  outer  harbor  of  Newport  for  coal 
in  November,  1861,  a  fact  in  which  we  would 
have  been  much  more  interested  if  we  had  known 
at  that  time  of  the  bitter  feeling  that  would 
prevail,  when  England  demanded  their  release  a 
little  later. 


CHAPTER  IV 

On  Board  the  Ossipee 

After  a  short  leave  of  absence,  spent  at  home, 
orders  came  for  me  to  report  to  the  commandant 
of  the  Philadelphia  Navy  Yard  for  passage  in 
the  supply  steamer  Bermuda,  and  on  her  arrival 
at  New  Orleans  to  report  for  duty  on  board 
the  U.S.S.  Ossipee,  Western  Gulf  Blockading 
Squadron. 

I  found  the  Bermuda  taking  in  stores.  She 
had  only  three  or  four  staterooms,  and  as  already 
about  twenty  officers,  including  eight  or  nine  of 
my  class,  had  reported,  her  condition  was  not 
such  as  to  induce  us  to  take  up  our  quarters  on 
board  until  we  were  obliged  to.  We  were  tem- 
porarily in  funds,  having  just  drawn  our  advances, 
so  we  lived  in  luxury  at  the  Continental  Hotel, 
up-town. 

Officers,  when  they  joined  a  ship,  were  allowed 
to  draw  three  months'  pay,  and  could  continue 

73 


74       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

to  draw  what  was  due  them,  until  the  day  of 
sailing,  when  the  working  out  of  the  indebtedness 
began.  This  advance  was  very  welcome  to  most 
of  us,  for  we  had  just  been  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  acting  ensigns,  and  new  uniforms,  swords, 
storm  clothes,  and  numberless  small  articles  had 
to  be  bought.  The  amount  of  money  in  hand 
—  three  hundred  dollars  —  might  have  seemed 
more  dazzling  had  we  not  known  that  recruits 
at  that  time  often  received  bounties  of  a  thousand 
dollars  and  more,  to  induce  them  to  enlist. 

I  had  pulled  out  a  roll  of  greenbacks  to  pay  a 
bill  one  day,  when  a  classmate,  just  arrived, 
said  wonderingly,  "How  did  you  come  by  that 
wad  of  money  ?" 

"Drew  it  at  the  Navy  Pay  Office,"  I  answered. 

Learning  that  he  could  do  the  same  by  simply 
showing  his  orders,  he  demanded  to  be  led  at 
once  to  the  El  Dorado.  His  outfit  had  been 
provided  by  his  father,  and  future  needs  did  not 
concern  him  much.  Life  might  be  brief  where 
we  were  going,  so  let  it  be  a  gay  one,  while  the 
money  lasted.  He  constituted  himself  paymaster 
for  our  party,  and  I  was  especially  favored,  as 
the  one  to  whom  he  was  mainly  indebted  for 


ON  BOARD  THE  OSSIPEE  75 

the  bonanza.  Afterwards,  when  our  accounts 
were  taken  up  on  board  ship,  and  there  was  some 
trouble  in  meeting  the  demands  for  mess  and 
entrance  fees,  young  Lord  Bountiful  announced 
that  he  would  meet  all  obligations.  He  had  not 
drawn  any  pay  since  leaving  the  Academy,  and 
therefore  must  have  over  one  hundred  dollars 
due  him.  This  statement  caused  a  sensation, 
for  we  all  supposed  he  must  know  he  had  over- 
drawn his  account.  Before  we  had  time  to 
enlighten  him,  the  paymaster  bounced  out  of 
his  room,  excitedly  waving  a  paper. 

"See  here!"  he  shouted,  "you  say  you  have 
a  hundred  dollars  due  you  ?  Why,  man  alive ! 
You're  two  hundred  in  debt!" 

"In  debt!"  echoed  our  Croesus.  "How  can 
that  be?" 

"Well,  here's  the  endorsement  right  on  your 
orders  that  you  were  paid  three  hundred*  dollars 
at  the  Philadelphia  Pay  Office." 

"Was  that  my  pay?  Thunder  and  %htning! 
I  thought  that  was  bounty!"  *. 

Our  trip  south  in  the  Bermuda  was  chiefly 
remarkable  for  its  extreme  discomfort,  as  we 
were  packed  into  her  about  as  tightly  as  sardines. 


76       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

I  had  my  first  sight  of  a  Confederate  flag  just 
after  leaving  Pensacola,  Florida,  which  was  then 
in  our  possession.  We  had  the  town  under  our 
guns,  held  the  Navy  Yard,  six  miles  away,  and 
also  the  forts  at  the  harbor  entrance.  The  flag 
I  speak  of  was  flying  from  a  small  sloop,  mount- 
ing a  fieldpiece,  or  swivelgun,  and  captained  by 
a  sort  of  water  guerrilla,  named  Duke.  Three 
schooners  loaded  with  coal,  probably  for  the  Navy 
Yard,  had  run  rather  close  in  shore  to  the  west- 
ward, and  Duke,  noting  this  fact  from  his  lurking 
place  in  the  Perdido  River,  had  slipped  out, 
captured  one  of  them,  and  was  just  boarding 
another,  when  we  came  upon  the  scene.  We 
carried  a  very  convincing  argument  in  the  shape 
of  a  nine-inch  pivot  gun,  which  adjusted  matters 
in  short  order.  The  schooner  was  recaptured, 
and  the  sloop  taken  a  few  minutes  later. 

On  reaching  New  Orleans,  I  reported  to  Com- 
modore H.  H.  Bell,  and  was  ordered  to  continue 
down  the  coast  in  the  Bermuda. 

We  found  the  Ossipee  lying  off  Galveston, 
Texas,  and  I  joined  her  late  in  the  afternoon, 
the  day  before  Thanksgiving.  The  Bermuda 
had  brought  fresh  beef,  potatoes,  onions,  and  ice, 


ON  BOARD  THE   OSSIPEE  77 

to  be  issued  in  place  of  the  salt  beef  or  pork  ration, 
and  as  I  came  off  with  the  first  boat-load  I  had 
a  hearty  welcome. 

The  Ossipee  was  one  of  the  lately  constructed, 
bark-rigged,  screw  sloops.  She  was  supposed 
to  be  high-powered,  though  I  never  knew  her 
to  make  more  than  eleven  knots  under  full  pres- 
sure of  steam,  and  with  topsails,  topgallant  sails, 
and  foresail  set.  She  carried  three  pivot  guns 
(an  eleven-inch,  a  100-pounder  rifle,  and  a  30- 
pounder  rifle)  and  eight  broadside  guns  (six 
32-pounders  and  two  rifled  30-pounders).  We 
thus  had  seven  guns  in  broadside,  and  later, 
during  the  passing  of  Fort  Morgan,  with  our 
starboard  battery  engaged,  we  fought  nine  guns, 
having  shifted  two  over  from  the  port  battery. 

The  Ossipee^s  captain  was  John  P.  Gillis,  who 
while  in  command  of  the  Monticello  and  the 
Seminole  had  acquired  the  title  of  "Fighting 
Gillis."  The  executive  oflficer  was  Lieutenant 
John  A.  Howell,  who  graduated  at  the  head  of 
the  class  of  '54,  was  the  inventor  of  the  Howell 
torpedo,  and  afterwards,  as  a  rear  admiral,  com- 
manded the  squadron  off  Matanzas  and  Havana 
during  the  Spanish  War.     He  and  the  captain 


78       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY. 

were  the  only  regular  line  officers  attached  to  the 
ship,  until  W.  A.  Van  Vleck  —  a  classmate  of 
mine  —  and  I  joined  her.  The  others  were  vol- 
unteer officers  appointed  from  the  merchant 
marine,  but  with  two  years'  experience  in  the 
navy  to  their  credit.  The  chief  engineer,  indeed, 
had  once  been  in  the  regular  service,  though  at 
this  time  he  held  merely  an  acting  appointment. 
He  used  to  say  he  had  inaugurated  two  wars,  for 
he  was  at  Point  Isabel,  within  sound  of  the  guns 
of  Palo  Alto,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Mexican 
War,  and  was  on  board  the  Pocahontas  off 
Charleston  when  Fort  Sumter  was  attacked. 

He  rather  enjoyed  telling  of  a  command  he  had 
once  had.  It  was  a  steam  dispatch  boat,  or 
tender,  which  boasted  an  armament  of  two  small 
brass  guns,  mounted  on  mahogany  carriages. 
These  guns,  carefully  tended  and  kept  in  the 
highest  state  of  polish,  had  had  names  conferred 
on  them,  and  were  known  as  George  Washington 
and  Thomas  Jefferson.  Their  muzzles  had  never 
been  acquainted  with  the  taste  of  powder,  however, 
until  one  Fourth  of  July  it  was  decided  to  fire  a 
twenty-one  gun  salute.  At  the  first  discharge, 
George   Washington   recoiled   unexpectedly,    and 


ON  BOARD  THE  OSSIPEE  79 

laying  a  determined  course  for  the  main  hatch, 
ploughed  over  the  coaming  and  disappeared. 
This  was  disconcerting,  but  orders  were  given 
to  proceed.  Thomas  Jefferson,  not  to  be  out- 
done, joined  George  Washington  in  the  hold, 
and  the  salute  ended  with  two  guns. 

Another  of  the  Chief's  experiences,  which  he 
did  not  relate  himself,  happened  while  the  ship 
was  in  New  Orleans.  The  occasion  was  a  dinner 
given  by  the  wardroom  officers  to  the  captain, 
and  as  the  latter  was  known  to  have  a  liking 
for  a  particular  brand  of  port,  the  Chief  went 
ashore  to  order  a  case.  Rumor  did  say  that  the 
Chief,  in  his  youth,  had  had  a  thorough  and 
practical  knowledge  of  all  sorts  and  conditions 
of  wine,  and  though  for  years  his  potations  had 
been  very  moderate,  it  is  always  hard  to  live 
down  an  established  reputation.  He  ordered 
the  case  of  port  and  then,  reflecting  there  might 
be  some  delay  in  sending  it  off,  decided  to  take  a 
couple  of  bottles  with  him,  that  the  captain 
might  run  no  chance  of  missing  his  favorite 
beverage.  On  reaching  the  levee,  where  there 
was  the  usual  tangled  mass  of  Mississippi  steam- 
boats, he  climbed  to  the  upper  deck  of  one  of  them. 


80       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

and  began  waving  to  the  Ossipee  to  send  in  a  boat. 
He  was  so  absorbed  that  he  did  not  notice  the 
steamer  had  cast  off  her  moorings  and  backed 
into  the  stream.  When  this  did  dawn  upon  him, 
he  made  a  break  for  the  bridge,  which  at  once 
became  the  scene  of  a  heated  interview  between 
him  and  the  captain.  The  latter,  however, 
finally  agreed  that  he  would  try  to  hold  his  ship 
in  the  current  until  the  Ossipee  could  send  off  a 
boat  for  his  unwilling  passenger.  The  officer 
who  was  pacing  the  Ossipee's  deck  noticed  the 
approaching  steamer,  and  a  handkerchief  in 
energetic  motion  at  her  rail.  He  looked  through 
his  glasses,  recognized  a  friend,  and  though  some- 
what surprised,  pulled  out  his  own  handkerchief 
and  returned  the  salute.  As  he  made  no  further 
move,  the  Chief,  to  make  matters  clearer  by 
recalling  his  mission,  caught  up  the  two  bottles 
of  port  and  waved  them  frantically.  All  was  now 
understood.  The  officer-of-the-deck  ran  to  the 
wardroom  skylight,  and  thrusting  down  his  head, 
shouted  to  those  below,  "Hurry  up  on  deck, 
you  fellows !  Here's  the  old  Chief  off  on  the  worst 
tear  yet !  He's  hired  a  whole  steamboat,  and  he's 
capering  round  the  deck  with  a  bottle  in  each 


ON  BOARD  THE   OSSIPEE  81 

hand,  just  whooping  it  up!  Hurry,  or  you'll 
miss  it!" 

They  hurried,  and  feeling  that  the  poor  old 
Chief  had  at  last  irretrievably  committed  himself, 
there  was  a  faint  cheer,  and  much  shaking  of  heads, 
when  in  final  desperation  he  was  seen  to  smash 
the  bottles  on  deck,  and  tear  wildly  at  his  hair. 
He  landed  at  a  point  some  distance  above  the 
city,  and  got  back  to  the  ship,  footsore  and  weary, 
to  find  the  dinner  over,  and  his  character  in  sad 
need  of  rehabilitation. 

Another  of  the  volunteer  officers  in  the  fleet 
off  Galveston,  whom  I  recall  very  distinctly, 
was  Acting  Lieutenant  Commander  Bem.  He 
was  said  to  be  a  Hungarian,  but  I  rather  cherished 
the  idea  that  he  might  be  a  Pole,  and  so  possi- 
bly a  relative   of   the   illustrious    General   Bem,^ 

1  When,  as  a  small  boy,  I  used  to  read  rejoicingly  of  General  Bern's 
escape  from  the  Austrians,  I  was  equally  interested  in  the  marvellous 
exploits  of  General  Gorgey,  and  often  wondered  if  people  were  right  in 
their  condemnation  of  his  final  surrender  to  the  combined  forces  of 
the  Austrians  and  Russians.  In  1906,  happening  to  say  before  a 
member  of  the  Hungarian  Parliament  that  I  considered  Gorgey's 
surrender  entirely  justifiable,  owing  to  the  hopelessness  of  further 
resistance  in  an  open  country,  and  against  overpowering  numbers,  I 
was  surprised  indeed  when  he  asked  me  if  I  would  write  a  letter  to 
General  Gorgey,  repeating  what  I  had  said.  It  seemed  almost  incred- 
ible that  Gorgey,  who  led  the  Hungarians  toVictory  nearly  sixty  years 
before,  was  still  alive. 


82       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

whose  great  services  to  Hungary  had  made  many 
forget  the  fact  that  he  was  Pohsh  by  birth.  I  was 
so  fond  of  my  fancy  that  I  never  asked  Lieutenant 
Commander  Bem  whether  he  was  related  to  the 
General.     I  was  afraid  he  might  say  he  wasn't. 

Bem  did  not  have  the  apearance  of  belonging 
to  a  family  of  heroes.  He  was  so  fat  as  to  be 
almost  unwieldy,  and  neither  spoke  our  language 
fluently,  nor  understood  it  very  well.  We  were 
told  that  one  day,  when  his  ship  —  a  side-wheeler 
—  was  pushing  up  a  narrow  river  in  North  Caro- 
lina, a  sailor,  putting  his  head  into  one  of  the 
paddle  boxes,  which  made  his  voice  seem  to  come 
from  the  opposite  river  bank,  began  to  shout, 
in  the  most  pitiful  fashion,  "Save  me!  Oh,  save 
me!   the  Rebs  are  after  me!" 

Bem  was  instantly  alert.  "Yes,  stop  her!" 
he  cried.  "Lower  ter  boat  to  once  quick,  undt 
safe  dot  refugee!" 

"Yes,  hurry!  Oh,  hurry!"  came  the  call  from 
the  bank.  "Hurry,  you  chaw-mouthed,  thick- 
waisted,  Hungarian  son  of  a  sea  cook!" 

"Yes,  mine  cracious!"  yelled  the  now  madly 
excited  Bem.  "Hurry  up!  It  iss  sompoddy 
vot  knows  me!" 


ON  BOARD  THE  OSSIPEE  83 

Captain  Gillis  was  the  officer  next  in  rank  to 
Farragut  and  Bell,  although  there  were  four  or 
five  ships  in  the  fleet  larger  than  the  Ossipee. 
He  was  in  command  of  everything  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  so  we  did  not  spend  all  our  time  at 
the  Galveston  station,  although  we  did  remain 
there  once  for  a  stretch  of  one  hundred  days, 
heading  to  the  southwest  current  and  rolling 
in  the  sea  from  the  southeast,  except  when  a 
norther  came  to  our  relief. 

One  trip  we  made  was  down  the  coast  as  far 
as  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande,  where  a  large 
number  of  English  steamers  were  loading  with 
cotton  which  had  been  carried  across  the  river 
from  Texas  into  Mexico;  but  as  they  kept  well 
to  the  southward  of  the  river's  mouth  and  within 
three  miles  of  the  Mexican  coast,  we,  of  course, 
could  not  touch  them. 

Another  time,  on  our  way  to  Pensacola,  we  ran 
in  to  communicate  with  the  senior  officer  off 
Mobile,  Captain  Jenkins  of  the  Richmond.  As 
this  was  at  night,  we  had  our  distinguishing  lights 
showing,  burnt  our  signal  number,  and  could  see 
the  vessels  to  the  eastward  repeating  our  flag 
number  to  the  Richmond.    In  spite  of  all  this, 


84        MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE   NAVY 

Captain  Jenkins  was  determined  that  we  should 
anchor  until  daylight.  He  excused  himself  after- 
ward for  this  extreme  caution  by  citing  the  case 
of  Captain  Preble,  who  had  been  dismissed  for 
allowing  the  Confederate  steamer  Oreto  to  come 
close  up  to  the  line,  and  then  run  by.  A  blank 
cartridge  was  first  fired  in  our  direction,  then  a 
solid  shot,  and  finally  there  was  the  threat  of  a 
broadside.  Captain  Gillis  was  furious,  but  could 
only  comply  with  the  signal  to  anchor,  solacing 
himself  with  the  retaliatory  message,  "Save  your 
shot  and  shell  for  your  enemies,  and  not  for  your 
friends,  who  you  know  cannot  fire  back." 

Captain  Jenkins  came  on  board  promptly  the 
next  morning,  and  I  rather  expected  to  see  the 
fur  fly,  but  the  two  captains  went  aft  to  the  cabin 
quietly  enough,  where  they  may  have  had  it  out 
with  each  other,  or  else  decided  to  bury  the  hatchet. 

Galveston  had  been  a  name  long  associated 
in  the  minds  of  officers  and  men  with  defeat  and 
disaster.  Of  our  two  vessels,  the  Harriet  Lane 
and  the  Westfield,  one  was  captured,  and  the  other 
destroyed  in  its  harbor,  and  their  captains,  Wain- 
wright  and  Renshaw,  and  executive  officers. 
Lea  and  Zimmerman,  had  all  been  killed.     Just 


ON  BOARD  THE   OSSIPEE  85 

outside  the  Hatteras  had  been  sunk  by  the  Con- 
federate cruiser  Alabama.  Even  the  brilHant 
capture  of  the  armed  Confederate  yacht.  General 
Rusk,  so  heroically  conducted  by  Lieutenant 
James  E.  Jouett,  ended  ineffectively,  for  the 
fires  he  lighted  to  destroy  her  were  afterwards 
extinguished  by  the  Confederates. 

A  few  days  before  we  left  Galveston  for  New 
Orleans,  we  saw  the  blockade  broken  in  broad 
daylight  by  a  sailing  vessel.  The  weather  was 
slightly  hazy,  and  as  she  had  kept  close  to  the 
land,  she  was  nearly  up  to  the  South  Battery 
before  being  discovered.  Her  captain,  certainly 
a  man  of  superb  courage,  had  taken  desperate 
chances,  and  was  rewarded  by  success.  We 
had  five  or  six  ships,  and  all  ran  in  promptly, 
opening  fire  upon  him.  He  kept  close  to  the 
breakers,  and  in  such  shoal  water  that  an  attempt 
to  ram  him  would  have  meant  the  loss  of  an  armed 
vessel.  The  South  Battery,  Fort  Magruder, 
and  the  Pelican  Spit  batteries  opened  on  us, 
to  cover  him  as  much  as  possible,  but  I  do  not 
think  our  shots  could  have  troubled  him  greatly. 
They  were  almost  bound  to  be  inaccurate,  for 
the  ships  were  rolling  deeply  in  the  trough  of  a 


86        MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

heavy  sea,  running  from  the  southeast.  I  was 
at  the  forecastle  pivot  gun  at  this  time,  and  one 
of  the  training  levers  coming  adrift,  I  nearly  went 
overboard  with  it,  in  a  violent  roll  of  the  ship. 
I  had  no  idea  until  then  that  guns  could  be  fought 
in  such  a  seaway. 

Soon  after  this  Captain  Gillis  was  detached, 
and  Captain  William  M.  Walker  took  his  place. 
This  oflScer  had  found  there  was  quite  a  comfort- 
able revenue  to  be  derived  from  the  capture  of 
blockade  runners,  and  kept  a  sharp  watch  for  them. 
One  day,  off  Mobile,  he  went  a  step  further  and 
laid  a  plan  to  lure  them  out.  He  sent  nearly 
all  the  ships  under  his  command  off  in  column  to 
the  southwest,  hoping  to  persuade  the  enemy 
that  an  attack  was  to  be  made  upon  some  Texan 
port,  and  that  the  coast  would  be  comparatively 
clear  for  the  cotton  steamers,  waiting  behind 
Fort  Morgan.  It  was  planned,  however,  that 
our  ships  should  turn  as  soon  as  they  were  below 
the  horizon,  and  take  their  stations  on  two  con- 
centric arcs,  so  that  any  steamer  running  out 
would  be  seen  about  daylight. 

Admiral  Farragut  was  in  Pensacola  with  both 
the  Hartford  and  Richmond,  and  when  word  came 


ON  BOARD  THE  OSSIPEE  87 

to  him  of  this  manoeuvre  he  was  in  a  fever  of 
apprehension  lest  the  Confederate  gunboats  in- 
side Mobile  harbor  should  take  advantage  of  the 
absence  of  so  many  of  our  vessels  to  overpower, 
or  drive  away,  the  few  that  were  left  on  the  block- 
ade. This  would  mean  that  it  was  legally  raised 
and  could  not  be  reestablished  until  after  sixty 
days.  Farragut's  flagship,  the  Hartford,  was 
rushed  away  from  the  Pensacola  Yard,  where 
she  was  undergoing  slight  repairs,  and  the  Itasca, 
commanded  by  Captain  Brown,  was  sent  out 
to  order  the  offending  cruisers  to  return  to  their 
stations.  Rear  Admiral  Chester,  then  an  ensign 
on  the  Richmond,  says  in  his  interesting  account 
of  this  incident,  that  at  Brown's  suggestion  the 
Admiral  had  a  few  tons  of  soft  coal  tumbled  on 
board  the  Itasca,  and  she  went  off,  sending  up  a 
column  of  black  smoke.  As  the  blockade  runners, 
unable  to  obtain  anthracite,  always  used  soft 
coal,  black  smoke  was  what  our  ships  made  for, 
whenever  it  was  sighted.  Conseqently,  it  was 
only  a  matter  of  a  few  hours  before  Brown  had  all 
of  Walker's  ships  corralled. 

Captain  Walker  was  at  once  sent  for,  to  go  on 
board  the  flagship,  where  he  must  have  passed 


88       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

a  very  bad  half  hour.  If  the  Admiral  did  not 
relieve  him  at  once,  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  was 
only  because  there  was  no  other  officer  then  avail- 
able. That  was  his  last  performance  at  sea, 
and  I  never  heard  of  his  employment  on  any  duty 
again.  When  he  returned  from  the  Hartford, 
he  was  in  a  towering  rage,  and  vented  his  wrath 
on  Mr.  Howell,  the  executive  ofiicer,  for  some 
neglect  of  duty,  actually  mine,  but  for  which 
the  executive  was  at  least  partially  responsible. 
Howell,  as  soon  as  the  captain  disappeared, 
naturally  fell  upon  me,  but  I  was  not  disposed  to 
accept  the  entire  blame,  and  fortunately  I  had 
heard  him  refer  some  point  in  the  matter  to  the 
chief  engineer,  merely  to  make  sure  of  his  ground, 
I  suppose.  So  when  he  began  some  sarcastic 
remarks  about  my  recent  Naval  Academy  knowl- 
edge, I  answered  that  not  only  did  it  fail  to  shed 
light  on  that  particular  point,  but  that  I  also 
had  not  had  the  advantage  of  instruction  by  the 
chief  engineer.  Howell  looked  at  me  for  a  moment 
as  if  he  would  enjoy  licking  me  more  than  any- 
thing else  in  the  world,  but  he  was  broad-minded, 
as  well  as  broad-shouldered,  and  the  matter  ended 
there  between  us.     This  was  not  the  end  of  my 


ON  BOARD  THE   OSSIPEE  89 

troubles,   however,    in   connection   with   Captain 
Walker's  strategic  operations. 

The  Ossipee  was  for  some  time  out  of  favor 
with  the  Admiral.  He  regarded  —  or  affected 
to  —  every  one  on  board  her  as  members  of  a 
trust  attempting  to  control  the  output  of  cotton. 
Having  been  sent  over  to  the  Hartford  one  day, 
with  a  requisition,  I  was  told  to  go  to  the  cabin, 
where  Captain  Drayton  and  Flag  Lieutenant 
John  C.  Watson  began  to  question  me  about 
the  articles  required.  It  was  a  little  difficult 
for  me  to  keep  my  mind  on  the  business  in  hand, 
I  was  so  interested  in  watching  the  Admiral, 
who  was  seated  at  his  desk  farther  aft.  I  had 
never  before  had  as  close  a  view  of  this  man, 
whom  the  London  Times  had  spoken  of  as  "the 
doughty  Admiral,  whose  deeds  in  war  had  placed 
him  at  the  head  of  the  nautical  profession  upon 
the  earth."  So  it  was  not  surprising  that  I, 
who  was  not  then  of  age,  and  expected  soon  to 
follow  him  into  battle,  should  have  been  gazing 
at  his  strong,  yet  kindly  face  with  admiration 
and  affection.  All  at  once  he  glanced  in  my 
direction,  and  broke  in  with,  "Brass  plate,  eh? 
What's  that  for?" 


90       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

"To  cover  the  socket  of  the  after  eleven-inch 
pivot,  sir,"  I  explained,  greatly  pleased  that  he 
had  spoken  to  me. 

"There's  nothing  in  the  Ordnance  Manual 
providing  for  that,"  he  remarked. 

"No,  sir,  but  you  see,  on  board  the  Ossipee  — 

"What?"  he  interrupted,  "so  that's  where 
you  come  from,  is  it  ?  There's  a  great  deal  too 
much  brass  already  on  board  that  Ossipee,  young 
man!" 

He  ended  his  speech  with  a  threatening  gesture 
and  a  wave  of  his  hand,  as  if  to  clear  me  out. 
Somehow,  he  did  not  look  exactly  dangerous, 
and  I  had  to  account  to  my  own  captain  for  the 
success  of  my  mission,  so  I  persisted.  "But, 
Admiral,  you  see.  Captain  Walker — "  The 
mention  of  that  name  finished  my  case.  I  sud- 
denly found  myself  making  for  the  companion- 
way,  hastened  by  the  knowledge  that  my  ears 
were  to  be  cut  off,  pulled,  or  in  some  way  sacri- 
ficed. This  was  the  only  marked  attention  I 
ever  received  from  the  great  Admiral.  Probably 
he  only  meant  to  let  our  captain  understand  that 
any  request  coming  from  him  would  be  summarily 
dealt    with.     At    any    rate,    when    Commander 


ON  BOARD  THE  OSSIPEE  91 

William  E.  LeRoy  relieved  Captain  Walker  a 
few  days  later,  the  ban  was  removed. 

I  once  heard  a  speaker  at  a  banquet  in  Phila- 
delphia refer  to  me  as  one  of  Farragut's  eaglets, 
and  was  inwardly  amused  as  I  reflected  that  I 
might  at  least  lay  claim  to  having  been  pushed 
from  the  nest  of  the  parent  bird. 

LeRoy,  who  was  afterwards  Admiral  Farragut's 
chief-of-staff  during  his  European  cruise,  was 
a  perfect  example  of  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school. 
Once,  when  he  was  about  to  ram  an  enemy's  ship, 
an  officer  remarked  to  another,  standing  near  him, 
"There  goes  Lord  Chesterfield  at  the  Reb.  I'll 
wager  he's  getting  ready  to  apologize  now  for 
being  obliged  to  hit  him  so  hard." 

The  term  Lord  Chesterfield  could  only  be  ap- 
plied to  LeRoy's  deportment,  for  his  disposition 
in  no  way  resembled  that  cold  diplomat's.  I 
remember  once,  when  he  saw  an  inferior  contemp- 
tuously treated,  hearing  him  say,  with  a  fine  scorn, 
"Sir,  in  my  opinion,  a  gentleman  is  one  who  is 
a  gentleman  to  everybody." 

In  spite  of  this  broad  view  of  good  breeding, 
LeRoy  was  quite  a  stickler  for  convention,  and 
his   feeling    in   this    respect    was   often   severely 


92       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

tried  by  the  bearing  of  a  good-natured  but  poorly 
trained  servant  whom  he  found  in  the  position 
of  cabin  boy,  when  he  took  command  of  our  ship. 

"Do  you  know,"  he  would  say,  appealing  to 
the  general  sympathy,  "that  worthless  fellow 
Tripp  will  drive  me  distracted.  Why,  I  can't 
thank  him  when  he  helps  me  to  put  on  my  coat, 
or  hands  me  a  glass  of  water,  but  he  strikes  an 
attitude  and  says,  'You  are  entirely  welcome, 
Captain  LeRoy.'  " 

The  climax  came  when  Tripp,  who  was  to  be 
sent  north  for  discharge,  asked  for  a  letter  of 
recommendation.  The  captain  was  genuinely 
perturbed.  "Good  heavens!"  said  he.  "Sup- 
pose I  give  him  a  letter  such  as  he  wants,  what 
is  his  employer  going  to  think  of  me  ?  " 

When  the  detachment  to  which  Tripp  belonged 
was  mustered,  before  leaving  the  ship,  LeRoy 
came  on  deck,  nervously  handling  an  envelope. 
As  he  motioned  Tripp  to  his  side,  some  one  near 
me  was  heard  to  observe  that  "the  skipper  must 
be  putting  up  a  job  on  Tripp,  to  judge  from  his 
guilty  expression." 

"Tripp,"  began  the  captain,  "you  asked  me 
for  a  letter,  and  I  am  giving  you  this.     I  have 


ON  BOARD  THE  OSSIPEE  93 

done  the  best  I  can  for  yoii,  but  remember,  you 
must  not  open  it  until  you  reach  New  York." 

A  few  weeks  later,  the  captain's  steward  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  Tripp,  in  which  he  said  that 
there  was  no  recommendation  in  that  envelope, 
but  he  did  find  a  fifty-dollar  bill.  It  must  be 
added  here  that  LeRoy  had  little  beside  his  salary. 

Among  other  mannerisms,  our  captain  had  a 
bow  that  was  so  very  low  and  sweeping,  it  was 
suspected  he  took  much  secret  satisfaction  in  it. 
The  deepest  one  I  ever  saw  him  make,  however, 
I  am  sure  gave  me  more  pleasure  than  it  did  him. 
We  were  at  quarters,  one  day,  firing  at  a  stranded 
blockade  runner  in  order  to  prevent  the  enemy 
from  landing  her  cargo.  Suddenly,  from  a  bat- 
tery on  shore,  came  the  screech  of  a  projectile. 
It  came  as  if  it  meant  business  and  was  evidently 
headed  straight  for  me.  I  instantly  doubled  up 
like  a  jackknife,  and  just  as  quickly  came  the 
feeling  of  anger  and  shame  at  the  exhibition  I 
must  be  making  before  all  hands,  from  my  ele- 
vated position  on  the  forecastle.  As  I  straightened 
up,  I  stole  a  covert  glance  aft,  to  see  if  the  cap- 
tain had  by  any  chance  failed  to  observe  me. 
To  my  enormous  relief,  I  saw  he  too  was  slowly 


94       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

getting  back  to  the  perpendicular,  and  I  heard 
him  say  to  the  executive  officer,  "By  Jove,  Howell ! 
that  was  an  awfully  close  shave !  That  confounded 
thing  only  went  about  a  foot  clear  of  our  heads.*' 

I  had  no  mind  to  question  the  captain's  claim, 
but  the  words  were  hardly  out  of  his  mouth, 
when  a  wild  Irishman  stationed  in  the  gangway 
midway  between  us  shouted,  **Begorry,  b'ys, 
I  cud  have  caught  thot  in  me  hat!" 

The  fate  of  the  vessel  we  were  firing  at  was 
settled  a  night  or  two  later  by  Flag  Lieutenant 
Watson,  who  boarded  and  practically  destroyed 
her,  setting  fire  to  everything  ^  that  the  enemy 
might  use.  There  was  no  force  to  oppose  him,  so 
the  conflict  he  was  prepared  for  did  not  take  place.^ 

^  John  C.  Watson  was  Farragut's  personal  aide  and  was  with  him 
in  all  his  battles.  He  was  the  officer  who  threw  a  line  about  the 
Admiral,  when  he  sprang  over  the  rail  and  outside  the  mizzen  rigging 
just  as  the  Hartford  struck  the  Tennessee,  at  that  moment  so  well 
shown  in  the  painting,  "An  August  Morning  with  Farragut." 

It  was  the  second  time  during  the  battle  that  the  Admiral's  activity 
and  absolute  fearlessness  had  caused  this  precaution  to  be  taken. 
On  the  first  occasion,  it  was  Quartermaster  Knowles  who  at  Captain 
Drayton's  suggestion  followed  Farragut  up  the  main  rigging,  which 
he  climbed  almost  to  the  top,  in  order  to  be  able  to  see  above  the 
smoke.  Though  protesting  at  first,  he  finally  allowed  Knowles  to 
lash  him  to  the  rigging,  when  it  was  pointed  out  to  him  that  a  wound 
not  necessarily  fatal  might  yet  be  enough  to  make  him  lose  his  footing 
and  fall  overboard.  This  is  mentioned  here,  because  the  two  incidents 
have  occasioned  some  confusion,  and  a  good  deal  of  discussion  as  to 
who  really  lashed  Farragut  to  the  rigging  at  Mobile, 


CHAPTER  V 

With  Farragut  at  Mobile 

It  was  the  morning  of  August  fifth  when  we 
fell  into  line  to  pass  the  forts  and  attack  the 
Confederate  fleet  at  the  entrance  of  Mobile  Bay. 
The  Admiral  had  inspected  our  ship  a  few  days 
before.  He  had  shown  particular  anxiety  to  have 
the  guns  trained  as  far  forward  as  possible,  and 
when  the  eleven-inch  pivot  gun  had  been  trained 
forward  until  it  was  almost  against  the  side  of 
the  port,  he  was  still  not  quite  satisfied,  and  in 
his  impetuous  fashion,  again  called,  "Haul 
away ! " 

"But  if  it's  fired  in  that  position,  it's  liable  to 
blow  away  the  main  chains.  Admiral,"  objected 
the  ofiicer  in  command. 

"Well,  blow  them  away,  then!  Any  way  to 
get  a  shot  in  first  thing!" 

The  eleven-inch  pivot  did  not  belong  in  my 
division,  but  I  overheard  this  remark  of  the  Ad- 

95 


96       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

miral's  because,  with  a  desire  to  keep  as  near  him 
as  possible,  I  had  joined  the  Httle  group  of  officers 
following  him  about  the  ship.  A  look  of  recog- 
nition in  his  eye  as  it  happened  to  glance  in  my 
direction  almost  tempted  me  to  say,  "That gun 
would  have  trained  easier,  Admiral,  if  you  had 
allowed  us  the  brass  plate  for  the  socket,"  but  the 
captain  and  executive  were  both  standing  near, 
and  I  did  not  have  the  courage. 

In  my  own  division  I  had  four  guns  —  the  fore- 
castle pivot,  two  30-pounder  rifles,  and  one  32- 
pounder,  which  was  under  and  just  abaft  the  fore- 
castle. 

The  Brooldyn  led  the  line  that  memorable  morn- 
ing, the  Hartford  second,  with  Farragut's  blue 
pennant  at  her  mizzen.  The  Ossipee  had  sixth 
place,  there  being  only  one  ship  after  her.  All 
our  ships  had  their  largest  flags  floating  from 
peak,  staff,  and  every  masthead.  From  my 
position  on  the  forecastle,!  counted  nearly  sixty. 
It  was  a  beautiful  and  inspiring  sight.  The  moni- 
tors were  to  starboard  of  the  line  of  ships  and  a 
little  in  advance,  the  Tecumseh  leading  and 
opening  the  ball.  The  plan  was  for  each  ship  to 
keep  a  little  on  the  starboard  quarter  of  the  next 


WITH  FARRAGUT  AT  MOBILE  97 

ahead,  until  nearly  up  to  the  forts  and  batteries, 
so  as  to  get  into  action  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment. 

The  forecastle  pivot  was  the  first  gun  fired  on 
the  Ossipee,  and  a  moment  later  another  of  my 
guns  in  the  bridle  port  let  go.  The  men  aft 
began  cheering  as  wildly  as  if  we  were  putting 
down  the  Confederacy,  then  and  there.  When 
one  of  our  leading  ships  sheered  a  little  and  poured 
in  a  whole  broadside,  there  were  cheers  for  the 
Brooklyn,  Richmond ,  or  whichever  vessel  it  was. 
All  at  once,  an  officer  who  had  climbed  into  the 
rigging,  called  out  something  about  the  Tecumseh. 
Those  below,  catching  only  the  name  of  the  ship, 
started  another  cheer,  but  Mr.  Howell,  waving 
his  trumpet,  shouted  "Great  heavens,  men! 
Are  you  cheering,  when  your  own  companions 
are  lost  ?  " 

Some  one  has  well  described  the  moment  when, 
after  the  sinking  of  the  Tecumseh,  Farragut  took 
the  lead : 

"  One  ship  is  gone,  but  the  wooden  walls 
Defy  the  walls  of  stone. 
And  proudly  steaming  past,  give  back 
The  greetings  fiercely  thrown. 


98       MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Beyond,  their  ships  and  iron-clad 
Loom  in  the  dawning  gray, 

But  Farragut  is  leading  us. 
And  we  shall  win  the  day." 

I  believe  the  statement  has  been  made  that  the 
fire  of  Fort  Morgan  and  the  water  batteries  slack- 
ened when  the  Brooklyn,  Hartford,  and  Richmond, 
with  their  powerful  broadside  batteries,  were  just 
opposite,  but  if  this  were;  so,  they  had  certainly 
recovered  by  the  time  we  came  along.  Before 
we  fairly  got  into  action,  our  smokestack  guys 
were  shot  away,  and  when  I  remarked  upon  this 
to  our  game  little  boatswain,  Mr.  Milne,  he 
shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  said,  "That  doesn't 
trouble  me.  The  engineers  will  have  to  attend 
to  it." 

"How  about  that?"  I  asked,  as  a  shot  struck 
the  forestays.  He  became  very  vehement  then 
about  the  appearance  they  would  make  when 
spliced.  I  thought,  myself,  we  had  come  off  very 
luckily,  for  one  stay,  entirely  cut  through,  was 
only  held  by  the  snaking,  while  of  the  other  but 
a  single  strand  remained,  and  this  was  all  that 
kept  the  whole  length  of  them  from  crushing  down 
upon  us,  on  the  forecastle. 


WITH  FARRAGUT  AT  MOBILE  99 

Our  consort,  the  gunboat  lashed  to  our  port 
side  to  carry  us  through,  if  disabled,  was  the 
Itasca;  her  commander  that  same  George  Brown 
who  had  once  decoyed  our  ships  with  black 
smoke.  As  we  approached  Fort  Morgan,  Brown 
began  firing  to  the  westward,  over  towards 
Dauphin  Island,  and  Captain  LeRoy  shouted  to 
him  from  the  bridge,  "Do  you  think,  Brown, 
you're  going  to  reach  Fort  Gaines  from  here?'* 

"No;"  was  the  answer,  "but  I  can  add  to  the 
smoke  and  bother  Fort  Morgan  for  you." 

A  little  later,  a  shot  that  came  through  our 
side,  just  at  the  angle  of  the  deck  and  waterways, 
sent  a  lot  of  splinters  flying,  and  one  of  them 
landed  on  board  the  Itasca,  striking  Brown  on 
the  leg.  Fortunately  the  flat  side  hit  him,  so 
he  escaped  with  only  a  painful  bruise.  LeRoy 
saw  him  jumping  about  the  bridge,  and  called 
out,  "Did  one  of  those  splinters  hit  you,  Brown?" 

"Well,  you  might  call  it  a  splinter  on  board 
your  big  ship,"  returned  the  aggrieved  Brown, 
"but  over  here,  it  ranks  as  a  log  of  wood." 

The  smoke  lifted  a  little,  as  we  were  passing 
the  water  batteries,  and  their  men  could  plainly 
be  seen,  frantically  loading  and  training  the  guns. 


100     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Our  fire  at  point-blank  range  must  have  eon- 
fused  them  somewhat,  for  they  only  succeeded 
in  hulling  us  a  couple  of  times  with  nine  or  ten- 
inch  round  shot.  Even  with  this  small  per- 
centage of  hits,  however,  the  casualties  at  our 
Number  5  gun  were  enough  to  silence  it  for  a 
time. 

Just  after  we  passed  the  forts,  the  ironclad 
Tennessee  came  out  of  the  smoke  on  our  star- 
board bow.  Before  I  could  report  her,  the 
captain  and  Mr.  Howell  had  taken  in  the  situa- 
tion, and  a  critical  one  it  was.  It  seemed  to  me 
there  was  really  no  escape  for  us.  Howell,  who 
was  on  the  bridge,  shouted  to  the  captain,  "shall 
we  port,  and  ram.^^"  but  LeRoy,  who  was  aft, 
coolly  answered,  "No,  steady!  I  think  we'll  go 
clear.'' 

That  question  having  been  officially  settled, 
and  as  none  of  my  guns  would  bear  until  the 
Tennessee  came  farther  aft,  my  attention  centered 
on  a  big  rifle  gun  that  was  projecting  from  her 
bow,  the  hole  in  it  looking  ominously  large.  The 
projectile,  when  it  came,  raked  our  berth  deck, 
and  as  the  big  ironclad  was  almost  alongside  by 
that  time,  we  returned  it  with  the  muzzles  of  our 


WITH  FARRAGUT  AT  MOBILE         101 

guns  depressed,  but  I  imagine  all  our  shot  simply 
struck  her  casemate  and  bounded  off.  I  was  glad 
to  see  that  she  had  the  rammer  in  one  of  her  broad- 
side guns,  and  could  therefore  only  give  us  one 
more  in  passing.  It  fortunately  missed  the 
boilers,  going  through  just  forward  of  them. 
Her  stern  gun,  which  could  have  raked  us,  was 
not  fired,  and  Lieutenant  Wharton,  the  officer 
who  was  training  it,  told  me  afterwards  that  the 
primers  failed.  Our  narrowest  escape  was  from 
a  ten-inch  shot  that  grazed  our  main  steam  pipe, 
tearing  off  the  fearnaught  and  wooden  battens  in 
which  it  was  encased. 

Our  ships  having  run  up  the  bay,  beyond  the 
range  of  the  forts,  several  had  anchored,  and 
their  captains  were  preparing  to  go  on  board  the 
flagship.  I  believe  the  thought  had  come  to  many 
of  us  —  and  it  was  not  a  comforting  one  —  that 
the  Tennessee,  which  had  proved  that  she  could 
fight  her  way  through  our  fleet  from  van  to  rear, 
might,  when  darkness  fell,  steam  up  into  our 
midst,  and  w^hile  we  were  hampered  by  the  fear 
of  injuring  our  friends,  she  would  feel  free  to 
ram  and  fire  in  any  direction.  W'e  learned  after- 
wards that  Farragut,  fully  aware  of  the  advan- 


102     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

tages  his  enemy  would  have  in  a  night  battle, 
had  determined,  after  a  short  respite,  to  attack 
the  Tennessee,  even  though  it  had  to  be  under 
the  guns  of  Fort  Morgan.  The  gunboat  Morgan 
was  still  with  her,  but  we  had  destroyed  the 
Gaines,  and  the  Selma  had  been  captured  after 
a  running  fight  with  the  Metacomet,  commanded 
by  Captain  Jouett,  the  officer  who  had  boarded 
the  General  Rusk  at  Galveston. 

Those  of  us  who  did  not  know  of  Farragut's 
decision  were  still  wondering  what  was  to  come 
next,  when  all  uncertainty  was  ended  by  Admiral 
Buchanan,  who  resolved  to  attack  at  once. 
When  it  was  seen  that  the  Tennessee  was  steaming 
back  up  the  bay,  Farragut  hoisted  his  famous 
signal,  "Run  down  the  enemy's  principal  vessel 
at  full  speed."  The  distinguishing  pennants  of 
three  ships  followed  this  signal,  the  Monongahela's, 
the  Lackawanna's  and  our  own.  Farragut,  after 
referring  to  the  signal  in  his  detailed  report, 
calls  the  combat  that  followed,  "One  of  the 
fiercest  on  record." 

The  first  to  attack  was  the  Monongahela.  I  saw 
her  strike  the  Tennessee  going  at  full  speed,  and 
then    pass    on,    her    bow    badly    crushed.     The 


David  Glasgow  Farragut 

FroDi  a  Plwlografh  by  Brown  Bros..  X.    )' 


WITH  FARRAGUT  AT  MOBILE         103 

Lackawanna  made  the  next  attempt,  dashing 
against  the  ironclad  with  a  force  that  it  seemed 
must  fairly  ride  her  down,  but  the  Tennessee 
shook  her  off  as  a  baited  bull  might  one  of  the 
dogs  tormenting  him.  Then  the  grand  old  Hart- 
ford rushed  at  her,  but  the  blow  was  a  glancing 
one,  and  broadsides  were  exchanged  with  the 
muzzles  of  the  guns  almost  touching.  The  guns 
of  the  Hartford  went  off  at  less  than  two-second 
intervals,  a  salute  never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  monitor  Chickasaw^  Commander  Perkins, 
had  been  dogging  the  Tennessee  everywhere, 
battering  her  casemate  at  close  quarters.  Her 
colors  had  been  shot  away,  and  as  the  Richmond 
or  the  Brooklyn  passed,  letting  go  a  whole  broad- 
side, overboard  went  her  smokestack.  In  the 
rush,  as  the  ships  were  circling  about,  the  Lacka- 
wanna struck  the  Hartford,  cutting  her  down  al- 
most to  the  water's  edge.  We  were  then  pre- 
paring to  ram,  but  our  captain,  fearing  the  Hart- 
ford might  go  down  altogether,  was  about  to  check 
his  ship  to  go  to  her  assistance,  when  the  Ad- 
miral, who  was  storming  at  the  rail,  observed 
his  intention,  and  waved  him  on.  We  were  pointed 
straight  for  the  Tennessee  with  throttle  wide  open. 


104     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

All  at  once,  I  saw  an  officer  with  a  white  flag 
appear  above  her  casemate.  Facing  about,  I 
started  aft,  shouting  "The  ram  has  surrendered! 
She's  showing  a  white  flag  !" 

Perhaps  the  captain  and  executive  saw  this  as 
soon  as  I  did,  but  it  was  my  duty  to  report  any- 
thing ahead,  and  I  was,  of  course,  excited.  As  I 
ran  forward  again  from  the  break  of  the  forecastle, 
I  heard  our  boatswain,  Mr.  Andrew  Milne,  call- 
ing to  the  Confederate  officer,  "Put  your  helm 
to  starboard!"  This  direction,  if  complied  with, 
would  have  thrown  the  Tennessee  s  stern  off,  and 
made  the  blow  a  glancing  one.  Seeing  that  the 
officer  either  had  not  heard,  or  did  not  under- 
stand, I  repeated,  "Put  your  helm  to  starboard !" 
adding,  "Ours  is  to  port !" 

He  answered,  "I  cannot.  Our  wheel  ropes  are 
shot  away." 

So  it  happened  that  I  was  the  first  to  com- 
municate with  the  enemy's  flagship,  when  she  sur- 
rendered at  the  close  of  America's  greatest  naval 
battle. 

The  order  to  back  our  engines  and  put  the 
helm  over  had  been  promptly  given  and  obeyed, 
but  it  is  doubtful  if  there  was  time  for  the  Ten- 


WITH  FARRAGUT  AT   MOBILE         105 

nessee  to  have  aided  in  averting  the  coHision.  Our 
captain  and  executive  reached  the  forecastle  just 
as  the  ships  struck,  and  began  to  swing  alongside. 
It  seemed  to  me  as  if  the  whole  ship's  company 
were  on  deck  by  that  time.  They  came  swarming 
up  from  below,  wild  with  excitement.  An  Irish- 
man from  the  fireroom,  in  a  perfectly  frenzied 
state  —  and  little  else  —  dashed  forward,  yelling, 
"Board  her!  Board  her!"  I  caught  him  by  his 
undershirt,  knowing  if  he  leaped  the  rail,  he 
would  slide  down  the  slope  of  the  casemate  and 
be  crushed  between  the  two  ships,  and  with  some 
assistance,  dragged  him  back  and  down  on  deck. 

As  soon  as  order  could  be  restored,  Captain 
LeRoy  hailed,  and  asked,  "Do  you  surrender?" 

The  officer  answered,  "Yes,  we  surrender. 
This  is  the  Confederate  States  ship  Tennessee. 
I  am  the  commanding  officer.  Admiral  Buchanan 
is  wounded." 

Captain  LeRoy  replied,  "This  is  the  United 
States  steamer  Ossipee.  I  accept  the  surrender 
for  Admiral  Farragut." 

We  lowered  and  sent  over  a  boat  for  the  Con- 
federate captain.  As  he  came  on  board,  he 
was  nervously  handling  his  sword,  but  LeRoy, 


106     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

ignoring  this,  shook  him  warmly  by  the  hand,  and 
said  in  his  cordial  way,  "My  poor  fellow,  have 
a  glass  of  ice  water.  You  see,  my  steward  has  it 
ready  for  you.  Wasn't  it  fortunate  our  supply 
steamer  came  in  a  day  or  two  ago  ?  " 

The  other  bowed  his  head  to  hide  his  emotion, 
and  taking  LeRoy's  arm,  the  two  went  aft  to  the 
cabin. 

In  arranging  to  take  over  the  surrendered 
Tennessee,  Captain  LeRoy,  so  habitually  thought- 
ful and  considerate  of  others,  did  a  great  wrong 
to  Lieutenant  Howell,  which  he  immediately 
and  deeply  regretted.  To  that  officer  naturally 
belonged  the  honor  of  taking  possession  of  the 
ram,  and  no  one  had  as  much  reason  as  LeRoy  for 
feeling  that  he  was  highly  deserving  of  it.  At 
the  moment  of  sending  off  our  boat  however, 
other  vessels  were  closing  in,  and  in  the  haste 
and  excitement  LeRoy,  seeing  Acting  Lieutenant 
Girard  standing  near,  asked  him  to  go  over 
and  take  charge.  Girard,  a  zealous  officer,  was 
not  a  regular  member  of  our  ship's  company.  He 
had  been  very  desirous  of  coming  in  with  the  fleet, 
and  having  received  permission  from  the  Admiral, 
had  applied  to  LeRoy  to  be  taken  aboard  the 


WITH  FARRAGUT  AT  MOBILE         107 

Ossipee,  where  he  had  not  been  assigned  to  any 
duty.  When  questioned  afterwards  about  this 
matter,  LeRoy  said  he  knew  that  our  ships  had 
drifted  down  nearer  the  forts,  and  fearing  the 
battle  might  be  renewed,  he  felt  that  Mr.  How- 
ell could  ill  be  spared  from  the  Ossipee.  He 
acted  on  this  thought  before  other  considerations 
had  entered  his  mind. 

Our  temporarily  crazed  fireman  was  not  the 
only  one  who  became  drunk  with  the  excitement 
of  battle.  An  acting  officer  commanding  the  tug 
Philippi,  whose  application  to  accompany  the 
fleet  past  the  forts  had  naturally  been  rejected, 
suddenly  decided  after  the  other  ships  were  well 
on  their  way,  that  he  would  force  the  passage 
alone.  The  audacity  of  this  proceeding  was  so 
great  that  he  was  some  distance  up  the  channel 
before  the  garrison  at  Fort  Morgan  realized 
what  he  was  trying  to  do.  Then  the  gunners  be- 
gan to  pour  their  fire  upon  what  they  doubtless 
supposed  was  a  laggard.  Of  course  his  little 
craft  was  quickly  obliterated,  and  as  might  have 
been  expected  from  such  an  idiot,  he  neglected 
to  throw  his  signal  book  overboard.  Having  it 
in  their  possession,  the  enemy  could  read  every 


108      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

signal  made  while  our  fleet  was  in  the  bay.  To 
those  who  have  never  seen  a  signal  book,  it 
should  be  explained  that  its  sides  are  faced  with 
sheet-lead  plates,  heavy  enough  to  sink  it  in- 
stantly, and  it  is  understood  by  all  nations  that 
it  is  the  one  thing  a  conquered  foe  may  destroy, 
when  resistance  has  ceased,  and  forbearance  is 
expected. 

The  Morgan,  the  only  Confederate  vessel  that 
had  escaped  destruction  or  capture,  and  which 
had  taken  refuge  under  the  guns  of  Fort  Morgan, 
slipped  away  in  the  night,  and  keeping  well  over 
to  the  eastward  in  shallow  water,  reached  Mobile 
in  safety. 

Grant's  Pass,  a  shallow  entrance  to  Mobile 
Bay  from  the  west,  had  depended  for  its  defense 
upon  a  small  fortification  in  midchannel,  which 
must  have  been  built  on  piles,  and  was  called 
Fort  Powell.  It  had  withstood  repeated  at- 
tacks from  our  light-draught  gunboats  in  Missis- 
sippi Sound,  and  our  prisoners  from  the  Selma 
and  Tennessee  were  confident  of  its  ability  to  hold 
out.  We  were  now  behind  it,  however,  and  the 
small  garrison  soon  learning  what  it  meant  to  be 
shelled   from   the   rear,    it   was   abandoned   and 


WITH  FARRAGUT  AT  MOBILE         109 

blown  up  during  the  night.  This  not  only  opened 
a  door  for  us  to  receive  supplies,  but  cut  off  the 
solitary  chance  of  escape  for  the  garrison  of  Fort 
Gaines  on  Dauphin  Island.  A  Union  force  under 
General  Gordon  Granger  had  landed  to  besiege 
this  fort,  and  as  we  too  could  easily  reach  it  with 
our  guns.  Colonel  Anderson,  who  was  in  com- 
mand, recognized  the  hopelessness  of  the  case, 
and  surrendered  with  over  eight  hundred  men. 

This  left  only  Fort  Morgan  to  be  dealt  with, 
and  accordingly  our  troops  were  landed  on  Mobile 
Point,  in  its  rear.  As  their  flanks  could  be  pro- 
tected by  our  ships,  and  any  attack  upon  their 
rear  fully  guarded  against,  the  reduction  of  the 
fort  was  only  a  question  of  time.  The  troops  were 
backed  by  heavy  guns,  which  were  landed  on  the 
Point.  A  number  were  sent  from  the  ships,  in 
charge  of  Lieutenant  Tyson  of  the  Hartford. 
The  soldiers  ran  zigzag  trenches  up  towards  the 
fort,  and  the  riflemen,  to  protect  themselves  while 
shooting,  placed  sandbags  in  pairs  a  few  inches 
apart,  with  a  third  bag  on  top,  on  the  edge  of  the 
trench  towards  the  enemy.  Pushing  their  rifles 
through  the  openings  between  the  bags,  they  were 
able  to  pick  off  those  of  the  garrison  who  ven- 


110      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

tured  to  show  themselves  in  an  embrasure, '  or 
above  the  parapet.  During  the  last  few  days  of 
the  siege,  these  approaches  were  carried  close  up 
to  the  ditch  of  the  fort. 

By  keeping  low  in  the  trenches,  operations 
could  be  observed  with  reasonable  safety,  and  a 
number  of  officers  from  the  fleet  landed  for  this 
purpose.  One  of  them.  Acting  Ensign  Charles 
Putnam,  had  been  a  former  shipmate  of  ours  on 
the  Ossipee.  He  used  to  tell  of  an  instance  which 
showed  the  sharpshooting  was  not  confined  to  one 
side.  A  soldier  near  him  in  the  trenches  confided 
that  he  was  after  a  marksman  in  the  fort  who 
had  been  sending  bullets  into  his  particular  aper- 
ture with  unfailing  regularity.  "I've  just  fired, 
so  he's  got  the  turn  on  me  now,"  said  the  soldier, 
**but  after  he's  had  it,  he'll  have  to  take  to  cover, 
you  bet!"  He  had  hardly  finished  his  sentence 
when  a  bullet  came  singing  through  the  orifice, 
and  on  the  instant  he  bent  forward,  sighting  his 
rifle,  but  almost  as  quickly  fell  back  with  another 
bullet  through  his  cheek.  The  idea  that  his 
adversary  might  employ  a  partner  in  this  little 
game  had  not  occurred  to  him. 

The  commander  of  Fort  Morgan  was  General 


WITH  FARRAGUT  AT   MOBILE         111 

Randolph  Page,  formerly  an  officer  in  our  navy, 
where  he  had  been  known  as  "Ramrod"  Page. 
He  put  on  a  bold  front  during  the  siege,  but  one 
of  his  assumptions  amused  us  greatly.  Admiral 
Farragut  one  day  sent  in  a  flag  of  truce,  asking 
for  permission  to  despatch  some  of  our  seriously 
wounded  men  in  the  Metacomet  to  Pensacola, 
where  they  could  be  cared  for  in  the  hospital. 
General  Page  humanely  acceded  to  this  request, 
but  also  stipulated  that  the  Metacomet  should 
return  at  once  from  Pensacola,  since  he  regarded 
all  the  ships  in  the  bay  as  his  prizes  and  the  crews 
as  his  prisoners.  We  did  not  use  the  expression 
'* bluff"  in  those  days,  but  this  was  certainly  a 
superb  instance  of  it. 

On  August  22,  the  army  was  ready  to  open 
with  its  batteries,  and  several  ships  —  the  Ossipee 
among  them  —  took  position  in  Bon  Secour  Bay 
to  assist  in  the  bombardment.  At  this  time  I 
was  in  command  of  the  quarter-deck  division, 
Lieutenant  Chew,  who  had  formerly  held  that 
position,  having  just  been  promoted  to  that  of 
navigator.  We  expected  to  be  more  severely 
punished  than  on  the  fifth,  for  then  the  ships  had 
simply  run  past  the  batteries,  while  we  knew  that 


112      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

the  Admiral  meant  to  make  this  a  stand-up  fight 
to  a  finish.  To  our  surprise,  the  guns  of  the  fort, 
on  this  occasion,  did  comparatively  little  execu- 
tion. Either  the  fire  from  our  ships  and  shore 
batteries  combined  was  overpowering,  or  else  the 
Northern  sharpshooters  may  have  made  it  almost 
impossible  for  the  Confederates  to  work  their 
guns.  At  night  our  ships  ceased  action,  but  as 
a  fire  which  had  broken  out  in  the  fort  made  it  a 
glowing  mark,  the  shore  batteries  kept  on  more 
furiously  than  ever.  There  was  an  inside  work, 
called  the  citadel,  which  was  completely  burned 
out,  and  the  garrison,  unable  to  extinguish  the 
flames,  was  forced  to  retire  into  the  casemates.  The 
column  of  fire,  rising  straight  up  toward  heaven, 
and  the  flashes  and  roar  of  the  guns  made  the 
scene  an  appalling  one,  and  as  I  watched  it  from 
the  deck  of  our  ship,  I  wondered  what  means  the 
poor  fellows  in  that  inferno  could  take  to  com- 
municate with  their  enemies,  had  they  wished  to 
surrender.  In  the  morning,  a  white  flag  waving 
from  the  ramparts  bore  witness  that  the  last  of 
the  fortifications  that  had  guarded  Mobile  Bay, 
and  formed  the  first  line  of  defenses  for  the  city, 
had  fallen. 


WITH  FARRAGUT  AT  MOBILE         113 

The  consideration  that  would  have  been  shown 
the  vanquished  was  at  first  withheld,  when  it  was 
found  that  they  had  spiked  their  guns,  and  that 
General  Page  and  several  of  his  officers  had  either 
broken  their  swords,  or  thrown  them  into  the 
fort's  well.  The  commander  of  the  Lackawanna, 
Marchand,  had  been  a  former  shipmate  of  the 
general,  and  had  asked  permission  of  Admiral 
Farragut  to  take  him  as  a  guest  on  board  his 
ship,  until  the  prisoners  were  sent  north,  or  to 
New  Orleans;  but  learning  of  this  violation  of 
the  laws  of  war,  he  said,  "Admiral,  if  you  send 
General  Page  to  me  now,  I  shall  put  him  in  irons 
in  the  coal  bunker." 

This  feeling  of  indignation  gradually  wore 
away.  At  least  I  never  heard  that  the  Fort  Mor- 
gan prisoners  were  subjected  to  any  unusually 
rigorous  treatment. 

This  period  of  stirring  action  was  followed  by 
a  little  outside  cruising  and  another  tour  of  block- 
ading duty,  at  our  former  station  off  Galveston. 
We  then  returned  to  Mobile  Bay.  Its  upper 
portion  was  still  held  by  the  enemy,  but  as  we 
were  in  possession  of  the  entrance  and  the  an- 
chorage inside,  no  great  exercise  of  vigilance  was 


114     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

required,  and  the  men  had  little  to  occupy  them. 
It  was  rumored  that  when  the  Northern  troops 
departed,  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Morgan,  they  had 
been  obliged  to  leave  behind  them  several  bar- 
rels of  commissary  whiskey,  which  they  had 
buried,  for  safe  keeping,  behind  one  of  the  sand 
dunes  on  the  Point.  The  grog  ration  had  been 
lately  abolished  in  the  navy,  and  the  anxiety  our 
sailors  displayed  to  get  ashore  and  dig  for  that 
whiskey  was  only  equalled  by  the  energy  and 
perseverance  with  which  they  spaded  up  every 
place  that  looked  at  all  promising.  Their  weary 
and  dejected  air  when  they  returned  from  these 
excursions  was  sufficiently  good  evidence  that  the 
treasure  had  not  been  found. 

Captain  LeRoy  actually  made  use  of  this  de- 
votion to  the  "demon  Rum"  to  improve  the  re- 
ligious tone  of  the  ship.  It  was  his  custom  to 
read  prayers  in  the  evening  when,  the  crew  hav- 
ing been  called  to  stand  by  their  hammocks,  he 
was  sure  of  having  two  long  lines  of  quiet,  if  not 
very  attentive,  listeners.  But  on  Sundays,  when 
the  quarterdeck  was  transformed  into  something 
like  a  chapel,  and  the  bell  was  tolled,  the  captain 
was  apt  to  read   the   service   to   almost   empty 


WITH  FARRAGUT  AT  MOBILE        115 

benches.  One  afternoon,  remarking  a  crowd  of 
eager  faces  in  the  starboard  gangway,  he  asked 
Mr.  Howell  what  it  was  the  men  wanted. 

"Oh,  they're  wild  to  get  their  names  down  on 
the  liberty  list  so  they  can  be  off  to  the  diggings," 
explained  Howell. 

"Indeed!"  said  LeRoy.  "Well,  Mr.  Howell, 
will  you  please  only  allow  those  to  go  who  came 
to  church  this  morning  ?  " 

The  next  Sunday  he  read  to  a  full  congregation. 

During  the  last  few  months  of  the  war,  the  men 
accepted  by  the  recruiting  officers,  or  those  for 
whom  the  government  paid  bounties,  were  often 
physically  weak  or  too  aged  to  be  serviceable. 
One  day  a  draft  of  men  came  on  board  the  Ossipee 
to  fill  vacancies,  and  our  captain,  recognizing  one 
of  them,  exclaimed,  "Well  if  there  isn't  old  Paul 
Jones !  How  could  they  have  allowed  him  to 
leave  the  Naval  Asylum.?  Why,  I  remember 
his  being  called  'old  Paul  Jones'  when  I  was  a 
midshipman ! " 

As  some  occupation  had  to  be  provided  for 
this  ancient  mariner,  Mr.  Howell  made  him 
captain  of  the  starboard  watch  of  the  afterguard, 
a  position  which  gave  him  little  to  do,  but  plenty 


116      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

of  opportunity  to  be  in  evidence.  He  used  to 
toddle  about  the  deck  at  all  hours,  with  a  paint 
swab  and  bucket,  cursing  —  for  the  benefit  of 
the  ofiicer-of-the-deck  —  all  the  lazy  lubbers  who 
had  been  assigned  to  him,  and  whose  work  he 
was  obliged  to  do.  If  you  offered  to  send  for  the 
"lazy  lubbers",  he  promptly  objected,  swearing 
he  would  rather  do  all  the  work  himself,  than 
have  to  instruct  such  haymakers.  There  was 
always  a  most  piratical  expression  in  his  bleared 
old  eyes  as  he  made  these  complaints,  which 
showed  he  particularly  enjoyed  breaking  the  regu- 
lations about  profanity  in  the  presence  of  an 
officer. 

I  once  tried  to  stem  the  tide  of  complaint  by 
asking  him  if  he  had  ever  seen  the  Admiral  in 
any  of  his  cruises. 

"Seen  him.^*"  he  sneered  contemptuously. 
"Knowed  him  when  he  was  a  cussed  little  squirt 
of  a  midshipman,  dependin'  on  me  and  other 
smart  topmen  to  steer  him  straight!"  and  with 
this  tribute  to  Farragut's  early  abilities,  our 
conversation  ended. 

Of  course  it  was  not  long  before  old  Jones  went 
under  the  surgeon's  care.    His  cot  was  swung 


WITH  FARRAGUT  AT  MOBILE         117 

under  the  light  poop  deck,  where  the  officers  often 
gathered  to  smoke  after  dinner. 

"What  you  got  there?"  would  be  his  greeting 
to  the  steward,  coming  from  the  cabin,  a  dish  in 
his  hand. 

"Just  a  little  pudding,  Jones,  that  the  captain 
has  sent  you." 

"What  the  hell's  the  matter  with  it,  that  he 
can't  eat  it.^^"  If  the  steward,  on  this,  showed  a 
disposition  to  sheer  off,  he  would  be  rounded  to, 
with,  "Here!  put  that  down.  I'll  see  about  it 
by  and  by."  Jones  had  no  idea  of  giving  up 
the  pudding,  but  wished  to  have  it  thoroughly 
understood  that  nothing  like  gratitude  or  obliga- 
tion was  entailed.  He  was  soon  shipped  back 
to  the  Asylum  at  Philadelphia,  later  known  as 
the  Naval  Home. 

Just  before  the  final  surrender  of  the  Confed- 
erate armies,  the  Ossipee  was  sent  to  New  Orleans, 
where  we  had  a  chance  to  observe  what  a  great 
relief  a  little  blood  letting  may  be  to  a  strongly 
felt  hatred.  New  Orleans,  which  had  not  suffered 
the  hardships  of  four  years'  virtual  siege,  like 
Richmond,  Mobile,  Charleston,  and  Savannah, 
was  more  inclined  than  those  cities  to  show  her 


118     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

dislike  of  the  hated  North.  I  remember  hearing 
of  a  tremendous  commotion  one  evening  at  the 
Varieties  Theater,  because  after  "The  Bonny 
Blue  Flag"  had  been  played,  some  one  rose  and 
asked  for  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner."  There 
was  such  a  riot  that  the  performance  had  to  stop. 
Finally  the  manager  came  out  on  the  stage, 
stated  that  the  money  paid  for  admission  that 
night  would  be  refunded,  and  assured  his  audi- 
ence that  no  Yankee  air  would  ever  be  played  in 
the  Varieties  Theater.  His  announcement  was 
followed  the  next  day  by  an  order  from  Butler, 
who  was  then  military  governor:  "The  orchestra 
of  the  Varieties  Theater  will  henceforth  open  with 
the  'Star  Spangled  Banner',  close  with  'Hail 
Columbia',  and  'Yankee  Doodle'  must  be  played 
at  least  once  during  the  evening." 

One  of  the  first  things  I  had  noticed  on  coming 
to  New  Orleans  was  the  inscription  on  the  pedestal 
of  the  Jackson  statue,  "The  Union  must,  and 
shall,  be  preserved."  I  expressed  my  surprise 
that  the  Confederates  had  allowed  these  words 
to  remain,  and  was  informed  that  Butler  had  or- 
dered them  to  be  chiseled  in,  when  he  took  over 
the  governorship. 


WITH  FARRAGUT  AT  MOBILE         119 

In  spite  of  the  detestation  of  New  Orleans  for 
the  Yankees,  no  other  city,  north  or  south,  made 
such  a  display  of  mourning  for  the  death  of 
Lincoln.  We  did  not  receive  news  of  the  assas- 
sination until  the  morning  after  it  had  occurred, 
and  as  we  heard  that  Secretary  Seward  had  also 
been  attacked,  the  idea  for  the  moment  pre- 
vailed that  there  was  a  wide-spread  plot.  Four 
or  five  wretches  —  it  is  safe  to  say  they  had  never 
been  near  the  firing  line  —  ventured  to  call  for 
cheers  for  this  crime  against  the  nation,  and  were 
promptly  shot,  or  cut  down.  So  great  was  the 
excitement  and  resentment  that  for  a  time  it 
seemed  as  if  the  soldiers  would  break  loose  from 
all  restraint.  I  remember  some  army  officers 
asked  me  and  my  companions,  "Where  are  your 
side  arms.f^  There  will  be  no  arrests  made  for 
slashing  any  scoundrel  to-day.  This  comes 
straight  from  the  Provost  Marshal's." 

Of  course,  there  were  many  citizens  who  deplored 
the  atrocity  that  had  taken  place,  not  only  be- 
cause it  was  a  crime,  but  because  they  felt  too 
great  provocation  might  convert  a  merciful  into 
a  merciless  North.  They  needed  no  suggestion 
to  hang  out  mourning,  but  even  those  not  so  in- 


120      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

clined  were  very  quick  to  take  a  hint  from  the 
bands  of  soldiery  pervading  the  streets,  keenly  on 
the  alert  for  any  lapses  of  this  sort.  Indeed,  by 
sunset,  there  probably  never  was  a  city  more 
thoroughly  draped  in  black  than  New  Orleans. 
Care  was  taken  that  there  should  be  no  object 
to  offend  a  Northern  eye.  Even  the  gallant 
survivors  of  the  Washington  Artillery  whose 
war-worn  uniforms  were  not  only  regarded  with 
respect  by  our  veterans  but  were  the  delight  of 
the  fair  sex,  went  into  temporary  retirement. 

It  was  while  at  New  Orleans  that  we  heard  the 
last  shot  fired  by  the  navy  in  the  Civil  War.  We 
congratulated  our  chief  engineer,  Adams,  on 
thus  rounding  out  his  career,  for,  as  I  have  men- 
tioned, he  had  heard  the  opening  guns  at  Palo 
Alto  and  Fort  Sumter.  It  was  after  resistance 
had  apparently  ceased  everywhere  that  **Savez" 
Reed,  the  Cushing  of  the  Southern  navy,  conceived 
the  idea  of  loading  the  ram  Webb  with  cotton, 
and  escaping  with  her  to  Havana.  There  he 
hoped  to  be  able  to  dispose  of  her  and  her  cargo 
to  the  benefit  of  himself  and  his  daring  associates. 

I  do  not  know  whether  the  Webb  had  any  pro- 
tection beyond  the  cotton  piled  up  around  her 


WITH  FARRAGUT  AT  MOBILE         ni 

boilers  and  machinery.  Reed  had  fitted  some 
sort  of  torpedo  to  her,  with  which  he  thought  he 
might  dispose  of  one  adversary,  and  with  this 
sHght  preparation  he  proposed  to  run  past  ships, 
forts,  and  batteries  on  the  lower  Mississippi, 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Red  River  to  the  sea.  He 
managed  to  slip  by  the  Manhattan  and  Tennessee 
ironclads,  and  a  little  farther  on  successfully  passed 
the  Selma  and  Quaker  City;  but  although  he  had 
taken  the  precaution  of  cutting  the  telegraph 
wires,  a  rumor  of  his  attempt  had  reached  New 
Orleans.  Captain  Maxwell  of  the  Pembina,  see- 
ing a  steamer  rapidly  approaching,  shouted  to 
Captain  Emmons  of  the  Lackawanna,  "That's 
the  Webb !  I  know  her  !  She's  the  only  double- 
walking-beam  steamer  on  the  river!" 

The  Lackawanna  opened  fire,  and  the  Ossipee 
followed  suit,  but  the  Webb,  apparently  uninjured, 
dashed  through,  and  down  the  river  out  of  sight. 
The  Hollyhock  and  the  Quaker  City  were  soon  in 
pursuit,  and  then  the  Ossipee,  a  little  delayed  by 
a  collision  with  a  heavy  coal  barge  lying  at  the 
levee  at  Algiers,  opposite  the  city. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  we  sighted  the  Hollyhock 
returning.     She  signalled  the  Webb  had  been  run 


122     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

ashore  and  was  on  fire.  It  seems  the  Richmond, 
which  was  on  her  way  up  river,  had  anchored  to 
repair  her  machinery.  Reed  naturally  supposed 
she  was  lying  in  wait  for  him,  and  if  she  failed 
to  sink  him  with  her  heavy  broadside  battery  of 
nine-inch  guns,  she  would  certainly  drive  him 
down  to  the  forts,  thus  shattering  his  only  hope, 
which  had  been  to  pass  them  in  the  dark.  So, 
yielding  to  what  he  thought  was  the  inevitable. 
Reed  destroyed  his  ship.  As  the  Rebellion  had 
been  absolutely  crushed,  I  think  there  was  a  gen- 
eral sense  of  disappointment  that  this  daring  ven- 
ture against  such  heavy  odds  had  not  won  through. 
Soon  after  this,  the  Ossipee  was  sent  north,  as 
were  nearly  all  the  other  ships  in  the  Western  Gulf 
Blockading  Squadron.  Admiral  Farragut  had 
been  succeeded  some  time  before  by  Rear  Admiral 
H.  K.  Thatcher.  We  left  Lieutenant  Howell  in 
the  hospital  at  New  Orleans,  and  Lieutenant  Chew 
became  executive  officer.  I  was  then  second 
watch  and  division  officer,  having  been  advanced 
gradually  from  the  fifth.  When  we  reached 
Philadelphia,  I  was  detached  and  ordered  home. 
It  was  a  year  and  eight  months  since  I  had  sailed 
from  that  port  to  join  the  Ossipee, 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  Bombardment  of  Valparaiso 

The  month  of  September  saw  me  again  at  the 
Philadelphia  Navy  Yard.  I  had  orders  to  report 
for  duty  on  board  the  VanderhilU  which  was 
fitting  out  for  a  cruise  around  South  America. 
The  situation  in  Mexico  was  then  engaging  the 
public  attention.  Our  attitude  had  made  it 
clear  to  Louis  Napoleon  that  he  must  either 
decide  to  fight  us,  or  else  withdraw  the  French 
troops  from  Mexico  and  leave  his  dupe  Maxi- 
miHan  to  his  fate.  The  newspapers,  of  course, 
were  full  of  rumors  of  war,  and  I  remember 
some  verses  the  London  Punch  published  at  this 
time  that  were  widely  quoted,  especially  their 
refrain,  which  was  in  the  form  of  a  duet  between 
the  Emperor  and  Secretary  Seward,  and  ran, 

"I  can't" 

"You  must  "  (get  out  of  Mexico) 

"I  won't—'' 

"You  will." 

123 


124      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

The  French  naval  force  on  the  Pacific  coast 
was  superior  to  ours,  and  in  view  of  this  fact,  our 
Government  had  determined  to  send  out  to  that 
station  the  double  turreted  monitor  Monadnock, 
then  considered  one  of  the  four  most  formidable 
vessels  in  the  world.  She  was  to  be  convoyed 
by  the  Vanderbilt  which,  with  the  Powhatan  and 
Tuscarora,  made  up  a  squadron  commanded  by 
Commodore  John  Rodgers.  The  Vanderbilt  was 
chosen  for  the  flagship.  Her  captain  was  Com- 
mander J.  H.  Sanford,  and  among  her  officers  I 
was  pleased  to  find  Ensign  F.  A.  Cook,  my  room- 
mate at  the  Academy,  and  Ensign  W.  A.  Van 
Vleck,  who  had  been  with  me  in  the  Ossipee. 

Our  Commodore,  under  whom  we  were  proud 
to  serve,  came  of  navy  stock.  His  father,  also  a 
Commodore  John  Rodgers,  commanded  the  only 
cruising  squadron  during  the  War  of  1812,  and 
his  severe  handling  of  the  English  sloop-of-war 
Little  Belt,  though  quite  unpremeditated,  afforded 
some  satisfaction  to  a  people  sorely  indignant  at 
that  time  over  the  attack  of  the  Leopard  upon 
the  frigate  Chesapeake.  The  record  of  the  elder 
Rodgers  has  been  somewhat  obscured  by  the 
better   known   achievements   of   his   son,    whose 


Lommodore  John   Rodgers 

From  the  I'liutograph.  in  the  Collection  of  Frederick  H.  Mc 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO     125 

great  services  to  the  country,  at  that  dark  period 
when  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  falling  back 
from  Richmond,  can  scarcely  be  overestimated. 
Their  importance  can  perhaps  be  best  understood 
by  a  few  quotations  from  his  own  dispatches.  He 
writes  in  one,  "To  save  the  army  as  far  as  we  can, 
demands  all  our  disposable  force.  The  fighting 
has  been  continual,  the  losses  very  great.  We 
fall  back  in  admirable  order,  disputing  every 
inch  of  the  way.  ...  If,  as  I  hope,  we  can 
get  the  army  upon  a  plain,  on  the  river  bank, 
and  then  protect  each  flank  by  gun-boats,  it 
can  have  a  chance  for  rest."  And  again,  "Now, 
if  ever,  is  a  chance  for  the  navy  to  render  a  signal 
service,  but  it  must  not  delay." 

When  the  first  monitor  foundered  off  Hatteras, 
there  was  a  general  feeling  among  the  wooden- 
wall  seamen  of  the  navy  that  an  iron  craft,  heavily 
armored,  and  floating  only  two  feet  out  of  water, 
was  nothing  but  a  death  trap.  Rodgers,  sure  that 
it  would  require  a  practical  proof  to  dispel  this 
feeling,  took  the  monitor  Weehawken  to  sea  in  a 
gale,  and  having  shown  that  a  vessel  of  her  type 
could  survive  a  storm,  confidence  was  restored, 
not  only  in  the  navy,  but  also  in  the  country. 


126      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

A  little  later  he  won  a  signal  victory  in  this  very 
ship,  compelling  the  Confederate  ironclad  Atlanta 
to  strike  her  colors,  after  an  engagement  so  sharp 
and  decisive  that  the  Weehawken's  consort,  the 
Nahant,  was  not  even  obliged  to  open  fire.  It 
was  a  triumph  the  more  marked,  because  so  many 
of  the  citizens  of  Savannah  were  spectators, 
having  come  to  see  and  rejoice  over  what  they 
supposed  would  be  a  Confederate  victory. 

A  belief  in  the  monitor  type  was  an  article  of 
faith  with  the  Commodore.  His  ofiicers  soon 
discovered  this.  We  left  Philadelphia  with  the 
Monadnock  in  November,  and  the  Powhatan  and 
Tuscarora  joined  us  at  Hampton  Roads,  but  to 
all  intents  and  purposes  there  was  but  one  ship 
in  the  squadron  for  the  Commodore,  and  that 
the  Monadnock.  When  he  spoke  of  "that  ship", 
we  knew  without  inquiring  that  he  meant  the 
Monadnock.  He  had  this  habit  of  concentrating 
one  of  the  most  magnificent  minds  I  ever  knew 
on  some  particular  object,  to  the  exclusion  of 
all  others.  He  used  to  make  me  think  of  a  walker 
who,  with  eyes  fixed  on  some  noble  and  distant 
view,  is  quite  heedless  of  any  obstacles  that  may 
lie  in  his  path.     Mrs.  Rodgers,  knowing  his  in- 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO     127 

difference  to  the  affairs  of  everyday  life,  had 
sent  to  sea  with  him  a  servant  called  David  who, 
although  the  Commodore  would  have  scorned 
the  idea  of  needing  a  valet,  really  filled  that 
oflBce.  Sometimes  the  Commodore  got  away 
from  David,  and  then  there  would  be  noticeable 
oddities  in  his  attire.  Mrs.  Rodgers  used  to 
say  that  after  her  husband's  behavior  on  their 
wedding  day,  she  was  prepared  for  any  eccen- 
tricity on  his  part,  for  on  that  momentous  oc- 
casion, when  all  the  friends  and  relatives  were 
assembled  and  the  bride  was  ready  and  waiting, 
the  groom  was  not  to  be  found.  After  an  awk- 
ward and  trying  delay,  he  was  finally  discovered 
in  the  kitchen,  entirely  absorbed  in  the  mysteries 
of  a  cookbook. 

Often  when  he  was  pacing  the  deck  during  my 
watch,  his  fine  head  sunk  in  thought,  I  have  seen 
his  face  suddenly  light  up,  and  beckoning  me  over 
to  the  rail,  and  resting  his  arms  comfortably 
upon  it,  he  would  fix  his  eye  upon  me,  and  begin, 
"Now,  this  officer — "  and  ramble  along,  until 
I  interrupted  him  with,  "Really,  Commodore,  I 
haven't  the  slightest  idea  of  whom  you  are  talk- 
ing." 


128      MY  FIFTY   YEARS  IN  THE   NAVY 

When  he  alluded  to  ^Hhat  officer",  the  rest  of 
us  soon  learned  that  he  meant  Cook,  whom  he 
had  chosen  for  his  flag-lieutenant,  and  who  ran 
him  a  close  second  as  to  heedlessness.  Having 
sent  for  "that  officer"  one  day  at  his  request,  I 
overheard  the  following  conversation  between 
them. 

"Mr.  Cook,"  began  the  Commodore,  "did  you 
make  the  signal  I  spoke  of,  to  'that  ship'  at  day- 
light this  morning?" 

Cook,  of  course,  knew  "that  ship"  referred  to 
the  Monadnoch,  but  he  was  equally  certain  that 
he  had  not  been  ordered  to  make  any  signal  to 
her  at  that  particular  time.  There  ensued  quite 
an  animated  discussion,  the  Commodore  very 
positive  he  had  given  the  order,  and  Cook  as 
stoutly  declaring  if  he  had  been  told,  he  should 
have  at  least  recollected  something  about  it. 
At  last  the  Commodore  brought  the  argument 
to  an  end  by  remarking  somewhat  wearily,  "I 
say  I  told  you  to  make  the  signal.  You  say  I 
did  not.  Well,  — we  never  shall  know."  And  he 
turned  sadly  away. 

Our  chief  engineer,  John  Germain,  regarded 
the  Vanderbilt  in  much  the  same  light  that  the 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO     129 

Commodore  did  the  Monadnock.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  one  voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  he 
had  been  her  chief  engineer  ever  since  her  con- 
struction, and  when  Commodore  Vanderbilt,  her 
builder  and  owner,  turned  her  over  to  the  navy, 
he  requested  that  Germain  should  continue  with 
her.  To  effect  this,  Germain  and  two  or  three 
of  his  assistants  were  made  acting  officers,  the 
chief  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant  commander. 
They  all  served  through  the  war  and  went  with 
us  to  the  Pacific.  Germain  had  many  stories 
to  tell  of  Commodore  Vanderbilt;  among  others 
of  his  interview  with  President  Lincoln,  which 
had  resulted  in  the  transfer  of  the  ship  to  the 
government.  It  was  when  the  country  was  in 
a  state  of  alarm  over  the  exploits  of  the  Merrimac, 
Vanderbilt  had  the  idea  that  she  might  be  effec- 
tively attacked  by  steamers,  so  strengthened  at 
the  bows  that  they  could  be  used  as  rams,  and 
he  offered  one  of  his  own  ships  to  make  the  trial. 
Mr.  Lincoln  suggested  calling  in  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  to  discuss  the  project,  but  Vander- 
bilt objected,  saying  in  his  blunt  way  that  he 
wouldn't  trust  him  with  a  flatboat  on  the  Con- 
necticut River.     The  President,  who  never  allowed 


130      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

personal  feeling  to  interfere  with  what  might  be 
of  service  to  the  country,  overlooked  this  criticism 
of  his  cabinet  officer  and  heard  Vanderbilt  through, 
remarking,  however,  at  the  end,  "But  suppose 
your  fine  steamer  is  lost;  what  will  the  Govern- 
ment have  to  pay?" 

"Don't  worry  about  that,  Mr.  President!" 
answered  Vanderbilt.  Then  in  his  impulsive 
fashion,  he  seized  a  sheet  of  paper,  and  wrote  a 
receipt  of  five  dollars  for  the  ship,  saying,  "There, 
Mr.  President,  keep  that,  and  if  she's  lost,  the 
country  pays  five  dollars  for  her,  and  if  she  isn't, 
she'll  be  worth  more  to  me  than  ever."  After 
telling  of  this  offer,  he  used  to  add,  "But  old 
Welles  got  ahead  of  me,  after  all,  for  having 
heard  what  I  had  said  and  done,  he  had  a  bill 
introduced,  giving  me  the  thanks  of  Congress 
for  the  gift  of  the  ship,  and  of  course,  after  such 
an  honor,  I  couldn't  have  the  face  to  say  that  I 
had  only  meant  to  give  her  temporarily,  for  a 
time  of  need." 

I  have  often  wondered  whether,  when  it  was 
decided  to  sell  the  Vanderbilt,  her  former  owner's 
wishes  were  consulted.  The  purchasers  took  out 
her  engines  and  boilers,  making  her  a  four-masted 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO    131 

sailing  ship,  with  the  name  of  The  Three  Brothers. 
I  last  saw  her  in  the  harbor  of  Gibraltar,  in  the 
year  1906.  She  had  been  turned  into  a  mastless 
coal  hulk,  and  yet  in  her  ancient  timbers  there 
still  remained  something  of  the  old  beauty  of  line 
and  proportion,  so  pleasing  to  a  sailor's  eye. 

Germain  was  a  man  of  enormous  strength.  His 
assistants  used  to  tell  with  great  unction  of  their 
chief's  encounter  with  the  prize  fighter,  Billy 
Mulligan,  who  took  passage  in  the  Vanderbilt 
when  he  crossed  to  England  to  attend  the  inter- 
national prize  fight  between  Heenan  and  Sayers. 
The  tw^o  countries  were  in  a  ferment  of  excite- 
ment over  this  match.  I  recollect,  as  a  boy, 
hearing  my  teacher,  Roswell  Farnham,  say  that 
he  wished  our  people  had  taken  as  much  interest  in 
the  contest  between  Buchanan  and  Fremont  for 
the  presidency  as  in  that  of  Heenan  and  Sayers 
for  the  championship  belt.  With  this  feeling  in 
the  air,  it  was  natural  that  Mulligan,  a  celebrity 
in  his  profession,  should  consider  himself  un- 
hampered by  the  regulations  that  governed 
ordinary  people.  Germain  found  him  in  the 
engine  room  one  morning,  complacently  breaking 
some  rule  of  the  ship.     Germain  called  his  atten- 


132      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

tion  to  this,  and  added  that  he  was  the  chief 
engineer.  **Are  you  really?"  answered  Mulligan, 
*'Well,  I'm  Billy  Mulligan,  and  I'd  have  you 
know  that  when  it  comes  to  chiefs,  I'm  the  Big 
Chief,  wherever  I  happen — "  Just  here,  some- 
thing like  a  circular  storm  struck  him,  and  he 
was  outside  in  the  gangway  before  he  came  to  a 
realizing  sense  that  he  had  been  interrupted.  He 
often  visited  the  engine  room  after  that,  coming 
to  the  door  and  inquiring  for  "Mr.  Chief",  and 
when  invited  within,  would  enter  and  bask  in  the 
presence.  Heenan  was  a  passenger  on  the  return 
trip,  and  one  of  his  first  proceedings  after  coming 
on  board  was  to  present  himself  at  the  door  of 
the  engine  room,  and  ask  for  Mr.  Mulligan's 
friend. 

Germain  and  our  executive  officer,  Franklin, 
got  on  well  together,  though  it  was  known  that 
the  former,  when  he  entered  the  service,  had 
proclaimed  that  "no  first  mate  should  ever  give 
him  orders  when  the  skipper  was  aboard." 

On  leaving  Hampton  Roads,  we  headed  for  the 
port  of  St.  Thomas.  Our  order  of  sailing  was  in 
the  form  of  a  diamond,  the  Monadnock  on  our 
starboard   quarter,    the    Tuscarora   on   our   port 


THE  BOMBARDMENT   OF  VALPARAISO     133 

quarter,  and  the  Powhatan  right  astern.  In 
good  weather  the  Monadnock  could  make  about 
seven  knots,  which  of  course  became  the  speed 
of  the  squadron.  Quite  early  in  the  voyage,  we 
struck  a  heavy  gale,  and  she  parted  her  wheel 
ropes.  For  hours  we  waited,  watching  her,  where 
she  lay  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  the  waves  making 
a  clear  break  across  her.  We  lost  sight  of  the 
Powhatan  and  Tuscarora,  but  with  his  eyes  fixed 
on  the  distressing  plight  of  "that  ship",  I  doubt 
if  the  Commodore  was  hardly  aware  of  their 
disappearance.  We  found  them  riding  at  anchor 
when  we  reached  St.  Thomas,  where  the  Com- 
modore had  a  mast  stepped  on  the  forecastle  of 
the  Monadnock,  which  fitted  with  yards  and  sails 
from  the  Vanderbilt  and  Tuscarora,  gave  her  a 
course,  topsail,  and  jib. 

Our  next  stop  was  at  the  Isles  de  Salut,  near 
Cayenne,  where  we  coaled.  One  of  this  group, 
Devil's  Island,  became  well  known  later  as  the 
scene  of  Dreyfus'  imprisonment.  At  the  time 
of  our  visit,  there  were  about  a  thousand  convicts 
on  the  islands,  with  a  force  of  marines  in  charge 
of  them.  Among  them  was  a  prisoner  who  ex- 
cited our  interest  and  speculation,  because  he  was 


1S4     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

on  such  a  different  footing  from  the  others.  He 
lived  apart  in  a  pretty  cottage,  and  we  noticed 
that  his  guards  treated  him  with  respect.  The 
night  before  we  sailed  from  the  Isles  de  Salut, 
a  French  officer  who  was  dining  on  board  the 
Monadnock  volunteered  the  information  that  this 
prisoner  was  Felice  Orsini,  supposed  to  have  been 
guillotined  with  his  confederate  Fieri  for  their 
attempted  assassination  of  the  Emperor  Na- 
poleon III,  in  January,  1858.  We  never  had 
any  means  of  knowing  whether  this  statement 
was  an  indiscreet  betrayal  of  the  truth,  or  a  flight 
of  fancy  on  the  part  of  its  author.  It  is  not  an 
impossible  supposition,  however,  that  Louis  Na- 
poleon was  so  alarmed  by  the  threats  of  the 
Italian  secret  societies,  of  which  he  and  Orsini 
were  both  members,  that  he  had  agreed  to  a 
merely  apparent  execution  of  the  latter,  and 
contrived  that  some  common  criminal  should 
suffer  in  his  place.  ^ 

We  visited  the  ports  of  Cira,  Bahia,  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  and  Montevideo  on  our  way  to  the 
Straits  of  Magellan,  but  the  only  occurrence  I 

1  See  Orsini,  Encyclopaedia  Britannica.  It  states  that  Louis 
Napoleon's  apprehensions  impelled  him  to  attack  Austria. 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO    135 

can  recall  in  connection  with  any  of  these  places 
was  a  visit  made  by  the  Emperor  of  Brazil,  Dom 
Pedro,  to  the  Monadnock,  and  the  very  thorough 
inspection  he  gave  her. 

Speaking  of  thoroughness  reminds  me  that 
few  could  equal  our  Commodore  in  that  respect. 
He  had  a  passion  for  research,  and  would  go  to 
almost  any  lengths  to  satisfy  himself.  When 
we  were  off  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata,  it 
happened  that  an  odd  looking  fish  was  caught  by 
one  of  the  men.  A  volunteer  officer  on  board, 
whom  the  Commodore  considered  an  authority 
in  such  matters,  unfortunately  remarked  that 
this  fish  was  luminous.  The  Commodore  was 
interested  at  once  and  bent  upon  having  light. 
He  retired  to  the  cabin  with  his  treasure,  and 
there  followed  a  great  commotion  of  closing 
ports  and  skylights.  The  captain  presently  made 
an  explosive  exit,  declaring  the  darkness  and 
lack  of  air  unbearable.  A  little  later  the  Com- 
modore appeared,  baffled  and  perspiring,  but 
still  hopeful.  It  had  occurred  to  him  that  there 
were  empty  water  tanks  on  board.  Inside  one 
of  these,  with  the  plate  on,  he  thought  absolute 
darkness  might  be  secured.     But  Franklin,  the 


136      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

executive,  discouraged  this  project.  "You  know, 
Commodore,"  he  protested,  "you  are  really  too 
large  to  crawl  through  that  manhole,  and  even 
if  you  did  manage  to  squeeze  in,  we  might  have 
to  cut  the  tank  open  to  get  you  out  again." 

The  chief  engineer  was  next  appealed  to.  How 
about  that  after  boiler,  in  which  steam  had  not 
been  gotten  up.^^  Germain  was  even  more  em- 
phatic in  his  disapproval  than  Franklin.  "Good 
heavens.  Commodore !  There's  not  only  the  risk 
of  getting  caught  in  the  manhole,  but  it's  danger- 
ous to  get  inside  one  boiler  when  there's  steam 
up  in  another." 

What  scheme  the  Commodore  would  have 
evolved  next  will  never  be  known,  for  just  then 
our  pilot,  a  fat,  important  little  Englishman, 
came  mincing  along  the  deck,  and  his  acquaintance 
with  that  part  of  the  coast  prompted  the  Com- 
modore to  ask  if  he  could  give  the  local  name  for 
the  luminous  fish,  which  was  placidly  swimming 
round  and  round  in  the  narrow  confines  of  a 
bucket.  The  pilot  looked,  thrust  his  hand  into 
the  bucket,  drew  out  the  fish,  and  uttering  the 
one  word,  "Squid!"  tossed  it  over  the  rail  and 
strutted  away. 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO     137 

The  Commodore  stared  indignantly  after  the 
retreating  figure,  and  then  turned  to  those  of  us 
who  were  gathered  about  him,  for  we  were  always 
interested  in  him,  if  not  in  his  works. 

**Did  you  ever  see  anything  to  equal  that?" 
he  complained.  "A  man  gets  a  rare  —  I  may 
say  an  almost  unique  specimen  —  and  some  in- 
fernal fool  comes  along,  calls  it  a  'squid',  and 
throws  it  overboard  ! " 

We  anchored  four  times  while  going  through 
the  Straits  of  Magellan,  in  Possession  Bay,  off 
Sandy  Point,  at  Port  Gallant,  and  in  York  Roads. 
Sandy  Point,  with  less  than  one  hundred  in- 
habitants, was  the  only  settlement  south  of  the 
Argentine  frontier,  one  thousand  miles  away. 
During  our  stay  there,  the  Commodore  heard 
that  coal  had  been  found  only  a  few  miles  inland. 
He  instantly  conceived  the  idea  that  with  this 
supply  to  draw  on,  heavy  tugs  might  be  stationed 
in  Possession  Bay  to  tow  sailing  ships  through 
the  Straits  and  to  a  good  offing  in  the  Pacific, 
thus  affording  them  an  escape  from  the  dangers, 
losses,  and  hardships  of  beating  to  the  westward 
around  Cape  Horn,  the  severest  task  imposed 
upon  a  seaman. 


138     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Of  course  before  a  report  could  be  made  on  the 
subject,  samples  of  the  coal  must  be  secured  and 
tested,  and  the  Commodore  determined  on  a  visit 
to  the  reputed  mine.  A  few  horses  were  obtained, 
and  a  small  party,  of  which  I  was  a  member, 
started  on  the  expedition.  Our  route,  for  part 
of  the  way,  lay  up  the  dry  bed  of  a  stream,  strewn 
with  boulders  and  overhung  with  low  stunted 
trees.  It  must  have  been  one  of  these  trees 
that  knocked  the  Commodore  from  his  saddle. 
At  any  rate,  the  first  thing  we  knew,  he  was  on 
the  ground,  being  dragged  over  the  loose  rocks 
and  boulders,  his  foot  having  caught  in  the 
stirrup.  It  seemed  an  age  before  some  one, 
seizing  his  horse's  bridle,  pulled  him  out  of  the 
way  of  trampling  hoofs,  and  we  were  all  much 
excited  save  the  Commodore  himself,  who  was 
heard  to  calmly  express  the  wish,  as  he  was 
jerked  and  bumped  along,  that  some  one  would 
be  kind  enough  to  *' extricate"  his  foot. 

We  returned  to  the  ship  with  several  bags  of 
specimens,  and  various  experiments  were  made 
in  the  cabin,  as  in  the  case  of  the  luminous  fish, 
and  equally  to  the  captain's  exasperation.  The 
Commodore   came   to   the   conclusion   that   the 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO     139 

coal  was  too  poor  for  steaming  purposes,  and  so 
dropped  the  matter,  but  many  of  us  thought  it 
was  a  plan  that  should  have  been  perfected,  even 
had  it  entailed  the  shipping  of  coal  to  the  Straits. 
Had  the  Commodore's  idea  been  carried  out,  it 
might  have  delayed  the  construction  of  the 
Panama  Canal  a  number  of  years. 

I  am  afraid  Captain  Sanford  had  little  sym- 
pathy from  the  rest  of  us  when  he  showed  im- 
patience with  the  Commodore's  pursuit  of  hobbies, 
and  absent-minded  ways.  To  us,  his  eccentricities 
were  a  part  of  his  character,  and  therefore  all 
lovable.  If  we  had  lived  right  up  against  them 
as  the  captain  did,  we  might  have  been  a  little 
better  able  to  share  his  viewpoint,  but  I  am  in- 
clined to  doubt  it.  I  did  see  the  skipper  on  one 
occasion,  however,  when  I  really  felt  sorry  for 
him.  He  and  the  Commodore  were  standing 
together  on  deck,  the  captain  anxiously  watching 
the  weather  signs  —  for  there  was  a  stiff  gale 
blowing  —  and  the  Commodore  going  through 
the  contents  of  his  pockets.  From  one  of  these 
he  suddenly  released  a  quantity  of  fine  tobacco 
dust,  and  sent  it  up  into  the  wind's  eye,  whence 
it  promptly  blew  back  into  the  captain's.     His 


140      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

cry  of  pain  roused  the  Commodore's  attention 
and  sympathy,  but  as  his  first  move  was  to 
blunder  on  to  the  captain's  feet  and  almost 
crush  one  of  them,  his  next  attempt  to  approach 
was  violently  deprecated  by  Sanford,  who  hopping 
wildly  about,  his  foot  in  one  hand,  and  holding 
his  eyes  with  the  other,  implored  the  Commodore 
for  Heaven's  sake  to  keep  away  from  him. 

At  York  Roads,  one  of  our  officers,  while  hunt- 
ing on  shore,  accidentally  shot  a  Fuegean  through 
the  leg.  It  is  to  be  feared  his  family  would  will- 
ingly have  sacrificed  him  again,  for  after  the 
wound  had  been  dressed  by  the  surgeon,  they 
departed  laden  with  what  they  regarded  as  a 
fortune  in  cloth,  flannel,  and  tobacco. 

Our  ship  and  the  Powhatan  made  their  way 
out  of  the  Straits  into  the  Pacific  at  the  western 
entrance,  and  proceeded  up  the  coast  to  San 
Estevan  Bay  in  the  Gulf  of  Penas.  There  the 
Monadnock  and  the  Tuscarora  —  to  which  the 
Commodore  had  temporarily  transferred  his  flag 
—  joined  us,  having  come  up  through  the  inside 
channel.  The  Monadnock  and  the  other  ships 
had  coaled,  while  at  Sandy  Point,  from  a  sailing 
ship  which  had  been  sent  there  to  meet  us,  and 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO    141 

at  San  Estevan  Bay  we  again  coaled  the  Monad- 
nock  from  our  own  bunkers.  We  then  sailed  in 
company  for  Valparaiso.  When  we  left  Hampton 
Roads,  the  strength  of  the  French  fleet  was  the 
question  that  engrossed  us.  On  our  way  down  the 
east  coast  of  South  America,  we  had  found  Brazil 
and  Argentine  —  or  Buenos  Ayres,  as  it  was  then 
called  —  at  war  with  Paraguay,  and  we  knew  that 
Chili,  Peru,  and  Bolivia,  on  the  west  coast,  were 
at  war  with  Spain,  but  we  had  not  dreamed  that 
this  latter  conflict  could  affect  us  vitally  until  we 
reached  Valparaiso,  and  found  ourselves  part  of  a 
situation  which  threatened  to  become  more  tensely 
exciting  than  any  prospect  of  an  encounter  with 
the  French  fleet. 

The  Spanish  fleet,  under  Admiral  Mendez 
Nunez,  was  lying  in  the  harbor  of  Valparaiso 
when  we  arrived,  waiting  for  orders  concerning 
the  bombardment  of  the  city.  The  fleet  under 
Nunez  consisted  of  his  flagship,  the  Numantia, 
a  broadside  ironclad  mounting  thirty-four  guns, 
four  fine  wooden  frigates  —  the  Villa  de  Madrid, 
Resolucion,  Blanca,  and  Beranguela  —  and  the 
gunboat  Vincidora,  all  these  together  carrying 
about  two  hundred  guns. 


142      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

The  English  fleet  lying  at  Valparaiso,  to  which 
with  ours,  the  residents  anxiously  looked  to  pre- 
vent the  bombardment  of  an  unfortified  and 
defenseless  town,  had  three  ships,  the  Sutlej 
and  Leander  frigates,  and  the  gunboat  Shear- 
water, mounting  in  all  about  one  hundred  and 
ten  guns.  To  these  we  could  add  sixty,  having 
found  the  Mohongo,  one  of  our  double-enders, 
in  port  on  our  arrival. 

The  Sutlej  was  flying  the  flag  of  Rear  Admiral 
Denman,  and  on  board  the  Leander  was  Com- 
modore DeCourcey.  Two  greater  contrasts  in 
type  could  not  have  been  imagined.  Denman 
was  tall  and  spare,  having  what  his  officers  — 
to  use  a  favorite  British  adjective  —  called  a 
"cruel"  nose,  while  DeCourcey,  so  short  and 
stout  that  he  looked  like  the  jack  of  clubs,  was 
said  to  have  a  "cruel"  paunch. 

Lord  Charles  Beresford,^  who  was  a  midship- 
man on  the  Sutlej  at  this  time,  seems  to  hint 
that  court  influence  had  played  its  part  in  Den- 

^  In  after  years  Lord  Bercsford,  then  a  noted  admiral,  referred  to 
the  Oregon  in  a  way  that  a  sailor  particularly  values  when  coming 
from  one  of  his  own  profession.  He  spoke  as  a  seaman  of  the  feeling 
of  pride  he  had  in  the  ship,  and  in  regard  to  her  achievement  remarked 
with  emphasis,  "  When  any  of  our  oflScers  say,  '  We  have  ships  that 
could  do  it,'  I  answer,  '  Yes,  but  we  have  not  done  it.'  " 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO     143 

man's  selection  for  flag  rank,  for  he  speaks  in 
his  memoirs  of  Admiral,  the  Honorable  Joseph 
Denman,  succeeding  to  his  position,  "after  the 
enjoyment  of  twenty -five  years  of  profound 
peace  in  command  of  the  Queen's  yacht." 

The  bluff  DeCourcey  was  not  adapted  for  the 
command  of  royal  yachts,  if  one  can  judge  by  a 
story  that  was  told  us  by  his  officers.  Some 
ancient  sovereign,  whose  treasury  was  not  perhaps 
in  a  state  that  would  permit  of  more  substantial 
rewards,  had  conferred  on  the  DeCourcey  family 
the  rather  curious  privilege  of  standing  with 
covered  heads  in  the  presence  of  royalty.  Queen 
Victoria,  who  was  well  posted  in  all  family  tradi- 
tions, one  day  noticed  a  broad-beamed  craft  in 
naval  uniform,  including  the  cocked  hat,  drifting 
about  at  one  of  her  levees,  and  placed  him  im- 
mediately. "I  see,  Commodore,"  she  remarked, 
as  he  was  presented,  "that  you  are  availing 
yourself  —  and  justly  —  of  the  privilege  of  your 
distinguished  family." 

"Yes,  Your  Majesty,"  acknowledged  De- 
Courcey, with  a  low  bow,  but  no  sign  of  removing 
his  headgear. 

"Having  done  so,"  added  the  queen,  "should 


144     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

you  not  remove  your  hat  in  the  presence  of 
ladies?" 

"Assuredly,  except  when  Your  Majesty  is 
present.  As  the  subject,  I  must  remain  covered 
in  the  presence  of  my  sovereign." 

The  Spanish  admiral,  Mendez  Nunez  —  or 
Mondays  Tuesdays,  as  we  used  to  call  him  — 
had  a  most  attractive  personality.  He  had 
reached  the  rank  of  admiral  at  a  comparatively 
early  age.  His  reputation,  not  only  as  an  officer 
but  as  a  man,  was  of  the  highest,  nor  was  it 
clouded  because  Queen  Isabella,  of  whose  char- 
acter the  same  could  not  be  said,  was  devoted 
to  his  interests.  No  one  felt  more  deeply  than 
he  the  alternative  of  either  yielding  to  the  threats 
of  the  American  and  English  commanders,  or 
bombarding  a  defenseless  city,  as  his  orders  from 
Madrid  demanded. 

The  interval  of  waiting  for  these  orders  was 
filled  with  the  wildest  speculations.  Would  they 
or  would  they  not  come,  and  if  they  did,  would 
the  English  and  American  squadrons  interfere? 
I  venture  to  say  that  there  were  few  in  our  squad- 
ron who  were  particularly  pleased  with  the 
prospect  of  interference  and  the  resulting  conflict 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO     145 

with  the  Spanish  fleet.  Fresh  from  one  war, 
and  with  the  expectation  of  going  into  another, 
we  were  not  hungering  for  additional  fighting. 
Still  it  was  all  in  the  day's  work  for  us,  and  it 
amused  us  to  affect  much  sympathy  for  Chief 
Engineer  Germain  and  our  acting  chaplain,  Mr. 
Bush,  for  being  involved  in  such  a  position. 
Germain,  who  had  served  through  our  Civil 
War,  would  have  resigned  at  the  end  of  it  had 
not  Commodore  Vanderbilt  urged  him  to  stay 
by  his  ship  until  our  fleet  reached  San  Francisco. 
When  we  condoled  with  him  on  being  caught, 
as  it  were,  between  the  two  commodores,  he 
would  answer  rather  grimly,  "Never  mind  about 
that !  If  there's  a  battle,  just  you  get  this  ship 
pointed  right,  and  I'll  drive  her  through  the 
Numantia  herself." 

Mr.  Bush  was  the  pastor  of  the  church  Com- 
modore Rodgers  attended  in  Orange,  New  Jersey. 
As  he  was  out  of  health,  his  parishioners  had 
given  him  leave  for  a  year,  and  flag  officers  being 
then  allowed  to  appoint  civilian  secretaries. 
Commodore  Rodgers  had  been  able  to  obtain 
one  of  these  positions  for  him.  Greatly  benefited 
by  the  voyage,  he  had  up  to  this  time  often  con- 


146     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

gratulated  himself  on  his  good  fortune,  but  now 
he  could  only  smile  sadly  when  asked  about  the 
advantages  of  Valparaiso  as  a  health  resort. 

When  it  became  known  that  Valparaiso  was 
actually  to  be  bombarded,  the  excitement,  not 
only  on  shore,  but  afloat,  was  intense.  Millions 
of  dollars'  worth  of  property  belonging  to  for- 
eigners would  undoubtedly  be  destroyed,  and 
while  the  English  stood  to  lose  the  largest  amount, 
yet  the  Vanderbilt  was  besieged  by  ministers 
and  consuls  from  many  other  nations,  all  appeal- 
ing to  the  Commodore  to  interpose.  There 
were  meetings  and  councils  both  in  Santiago  and 
Valparaiso.  Our  minister.  General  Kilpatrick, 
was  noisily  demonstrative,  urging  the  Commodore 
to  interfere,  and  treating  the  whole  affair  as  if  it 
were  some  light  undertaking.  He  declared  if  it 
came  to  a  battle,  he  wanted  to  be  on  board  the 
Vanderbilt  and  have  a  hand  in  it.  He  bore  the 
reputation  —  no  doubt  deservedly  —  of  being  a 
dashing  cavalry  officer,  but  I  can  remember, 
when  he  made  this  speech,  seeing  the  Commodore 
turn  and  look  at  him  in  a  half  amused,  half  con- 
temptuous way. 

There  was,  I  think,  a  general  feeling  among 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO    147 

our  officers  and  crews  that  the  affair  was  really 
none  of  our  business.  Chili  was  at  war  with  a 
nation  possessing  a  navy,  and  could  scarcely 
look  to  others  to  save  her  sea-ports  from  con- 
tribution ,or  destruction.  So  far  as  property 
was  concerned,  there  was  little  or  nothing  belong- 
ing to  Americans  to  protect.  Of  course,  the 
worst  feature  of  the  bombardment  was  the  misery 
it  would  occasion  in  a  city  of  one  hundred  thousand 
people,  among  whom  there  would  certainly  be 
numbers  too  sick  or  helpless  to  be  moved,  and 
the  many  homes  that  would  be  destroyed. 

Commodore  Rodgers  was  undoubtedly  in- 
fluenced by  these  last  considerations,  for  it 
was  evident  from  the  outset  that  he  meant  to 
interfere,  if  he  could  induce  the  Enghsh  admiral 
to  take  part  with  him.  There  were  a  few  of  our 
officers  —  Captain  Sanford  was  one  of  them  — 
who  attributed  this  readiness  on  the  Commodore's 
part  to  his  desire  to  see  a  fight  between  the  Amer- 
ican monitor  and  the  Spanish  ironclad.  I  think 
the  Commodore  must  have  had  some  knowledge 
of  this  talk,  but  if  so,  he  gave  no  indications, 
but  kept  steadily  on  his  course,  with  his  eyes 
on  the  main  issue.     I  discovered,  however,  during 


148      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

this  period  of  waiting,  that  he  was  not  indifferent 
to  the  opinions  of  his  officers,  even  of  my  rank, 
though  in  this  ease  there  may  have  been  some 
personal  regard  involved.  He  had  always  shown 
a  very  kindly  feeling  for  me,  and  often  during 
the  cruise  had  passed  an  hour  or  two  of  the  mid- 
watch  talking  with  me,  much  to  the  irritation 
of  the  captain,  who  evidently  felt  I  could  not 
attend  to  my  duties  properly  when  absorbed  by 
what  the  Commodore  was  saying.  One  after- 
noon during  my  watch,  a  square-rigged  ship  was 
sighted  to  the  northward  of  Valparaiso,  and  after 
looking  at  her  some  time  through  a  glass,  I  said, 
*' That's  a  man-of-war.  Let's  hope  it's  the  Lan- 
caster!" 

The  Commodore,  who  had  overheard  me, 
asked  at  once,  "Why  do  you  hope  it  is  the  Lan- 
caster?" 

I  knew  immediately  what  was  in  his  mind,  for 
the  Lancaster  was  the  flagship  of  Admiral  Pearson, 
and  his  arrival  would  mean  that  he  would  take 
command  of  our  fleet.  This  change  would  have 
been  pleasing  to  those  who  did  not  approve  of 
the  Commodore's  policy  and  who  hoped  that 
Pearson's  might  be  different. 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO     149 

I  hastened  to  disabuse  him  of  this  idea  and 
explain  my  own  thought,  by  saying,  "Because 
she  carries  twenty-six  nine-inch  guns,  sir." 

His  face  brightened,  and  he  said,  "Yes,  that 
would  be  a  help,"  and  after  a  pause,  he  added, 
"of  course,  the  Monadnock  would  be  triumphant 
in  the  end." 

"Yes,  Commodore,"  I  answered,  "I  suppose 
so;  but  don't  you  think  a  little  assistance  would 
give  us  a  better  chance  of  seeing  the  triumph  .f^" 

It  was  said  by  some  that  he  meant  to  transfer 
his  flag  to  the  Monadnock,  if  a  battle  took  place, 
but  this  rumor  was  disposed  of  by  his  statement 
that  Bunce,  her  captain,  could  fight  her  all  right, 
and  he  would  look  on  from  the  paddle  box  of  the 
Vanderbilt. 

The  Commodore  became  strongly  attached  to 
Nunez.  I  remember  hearing  him  say  one  night, 
when  he  returned  from  a  conference  on  the  Nu- 
mantia,  "Nunez  is  brave  and  true.  He  will  do 
his  duty.  My  heart  warmed  towards  him  while 
he  spoke." 

I  learned  that  Nunez  had  thoroughly  won  the 
Commodore's  approval  by  the  frank  way  in 
which  he  stated  his  intentions.     "Commodore," 


150      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

said  he,  "yc>u  have  a  reputation  in  your  country, 
and  you  too,  General  Kilpatrick,  but  I  also  have 
one  in  mine,  and  I  shall  try  to  keep  it.  I  shall 
bombard  Valparaiso.  Of  course,  you  know," 
he  added,  "that  this  matter  could  be  adjusted. 
I  have  plenipotentiary  powers,  and  if  the  Chileans 
would  just  stop  blowing  their  bugles  in  my  face 
and  salute  our  flag,  at  the  very  first  gun  I  would 
hoist  their  flag  and  return  the  salute,  then  go  on 
shore  and  settle  all  troubles.  As  they  are  not 
willing  to  do  this,  I  must  carry  out  my  orders. 
If  you  feel  it  your  duty  to  interfere.  Commodore, 
your  Monadnock  may  be  too  strong  for  my  Nu- 
mantia,  but  I  think  I  can  dispose  of  everything 
else,  and  then  if  I  find  I  can't  whip  the  Monadnock, 
I  will  leave." 

It  was  this  calm  certainty  of  being  able  to 
"dispose  of  everything  else"  that  troubled  all 
of  us  except  the  Commodore,  and  even  he  may 
have  had  his  misgivings.  Meantime  the  prepara- 
tions for  battle  went  forward.  Twelve  hundred 
bags  of  coal  were  stored  in  the  gangways  of  the 
Vanderbilt  to  shelter  the  most  exposed  parts  of 
her  boilers  and  machinery.  The  Tuscarora  plated 
her  sides  with  chain  cables,  and  on  board  the 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO     151 

Powhatan  the  light  spar-deck  cabin  used  when 
she  was  a  flagship  was  removed,  and  a  pivot 
gun  mounted  in  its  place. 

Beresford,  in  his  memoirs,  alludes  to  the  Amer- 
ican fleet  and  especially  to  the  Monadnock,  whose 
identity  however  he  confuses  with  the  Mianto- 
nomoh,  her  sister  ship. 

He  says,  on  page  sixty -six : 

"The  European  residents  in  Valparaiso,  who 
owned  an  immense  amount  of  valuable  property, 
stored  in  the  custom  houses,  were  terrified  at 
the  prospect  of  a  bombardment,  and  petitioned 
Admiral  Denman  to  prevent  it.  An  American 
fleet  of  war-ships  was  also  lying  in  the  bay. 
Among  them  was  the  'Miantonomoh',  the 
second  screw  iron-clad  that  ever  came  through 
the  Straits  of  Magellan,  the  first  being  the  Spanish 
iron-clad  *Numantia.' 

**  When  the  *  Miantonomoh '  crossed  the 
Atlantic  in  1866,  the  Times  kindly  remarked  that 
the  existing  British  Navy  was  henceforth  useless, 
and  that  most  of  its  vessels  were  only  fit  to  be 
laid  up  and  painted  that  dirty  yellow,  which  is 
universally  adopted  to  mark  treachery,  failure 
and  crime. 

"  The  British  and  American  Admirals  consulted 
together  as  to  the  advisability  of  preventing  a 
bombardment.     The  prospect  of  a  fight  cheered 


152      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

us  all,  and  we  entered  into  elaborate  calculations 
of  the  relative  strength  of  the  Spanish  fleet  and 
the  British-American  force.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  they  were  about  equal." 

In  the  midst  of  these  preparations,  the  English 
admiral,  Denman,  suddenly  announced  that  he 
had  orders  from  home  which  positively  forbade 
him  to  interfere.  Then  all  was  confusion  and 
dismay.  The  English  residents,  realizing  that 
their  property  was  likely  to  be  lost,  or  injured, 
were  furious  because  their  admiral  would  not,  in 
violation  of  his  instructions,  give  an  order  that 
meant  a  battle  of  the  most  sanguinary  descrip- 
tion. They  sent  him  a  wooden  sword,  and  talked 
of  "our  fancy  squadron,  Lady  Denman  command- 
ing." The  squat  and  truculent  DeCourcey  went 
on  the  warpath.  He  declared  —  so  we  heard  — 
that  if  we  decided  to  fight,  he  would  be  with  us. 
If  any  shot  came  his  way,  he  was  going  to  fire 
back.  Of  course  this  stand  made  him  generally 
popular,  and  the  contrast  with  Denman  the  more 
telling.  Nevertheless,  if  Admiral  Denman,  aware 
from  the  first  that  he  was  powerless  to  interfere, 
felt  that  by  threatening  to  unite  with  us  he  might 
force  the  Spaniard  to  spare  the  city,  he  took  a 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO    153 

chance  that  involved  his  reputation,  and  braved 
what  many  would  regard  as  worse  than  death. 
Cables  and  wireless  telegraphy  practically  ensure 
against  such  a  situation  in  the  present  day. 

The  Valparaisans  still  cherished  a  faint  hope 
that  the  Spaniards  might  relent,  or  that  we  might 
be  induced  to  interpose.  In  fact,  we  were  re- 
garded for  a  time  with  enthusiasm,  in  the  light 
of  their  sole  defenders,  and  I  remember  seeing 
illuminations  in  the  plaza  of  Valparaiso  in  honor 
of  the  squadron  "de  los  Estados  Unidos."  Com- 
modore Rodgers  now  felt  that  the  time  had  come 
to  dispel  these  false  hopes,  and  spoke  out  de- 
cisively. A  large  delegation  of  foreign  residents 
had  come  on  board  the  Vanderbilt,  stating  that 
as  far  as  lay  in  their  power  they  made  the  Com- 
modore official  protector  of  the  rights  of  their 
respective  countries.  The  insistent  urging  of 
General  Kilpatrick  was  supported  by  an  English- 
man, one  who  had  been  an  ardent  Southern 
sympathizer  just  a  few  months  before.  He  drew 
an  animated  picture  of  the  gratitude  his  country- 
men would  feel  towards  Americans,  winding  up 
with  the  phrase,  ** blood  is  thicker  than  water." 

"Yes,"    retorted   the    Commodore,    losing   his 


154      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE   NAVY 

hitherto  unruffled  serenity,  "but  I  notice  that 
you  would  have  America  contribute  all  the 
blood!" 

Then  turning  to  the  minister  and  delegation, 
"We  are  not  afraid  to  fight,  even  against  great 
odds ;  but  England  must  be  involved.  All  I 
ask  is  a  cutter  with  the  English  flag  flying,  to 
tow  astern  of  the  Vanderbilt  I  The  gratitude 
you  speak  of  would  not  prevent  certain  English- 
men from  fitting  out  new  Alabamas  and  Floridas 
to  destroy  what  little  commerce  we  have  left, 
should  we  get  into  a  war  with  Spain." 

It  must  be  said  of  the  Chileans  that  when 
they  saw  there  was  no  longer  any  hope  of  protec- 
tion, they  showed  no  intention  of  submitting. 
When  Nunez  announced  the  bombardment  for 
four  days  later,  he  declared  his  intention  of  firing 
only  upon  the  public  buildings,  but  as  they  ex- 
tended all  the  way  from  the  bonded  warehouses 
at  Reeftopsail  Point  to  the  Naval  Academy  and 
railroad  station  at  the  northern  end  of  the  city, 
it  was  evident  that  no  quarter  would  be  really 
out  of  reach  of  shot  and  shell.  So,  on  the  day 
before  the  bombardment,  the  sad  exodus  began. 
I  was  on  shore  that  day,  and  saw  men  and  women, 


THE  BOMBARDIVrENT  OF  VALPARAISO     155 

carrying  their  sick  and  aged,  and  hurrying  crying 
children  before  them,  abandoning  their  homes  to 
take  refuge  in  the  country,  or  on  the  high  hills 
that  overlooked  the  town.  On  the  fateful  morn- 
ing, these  hills  were  black  with  people.  Many 
of  them  had  come  from  Santiago  as  spectators, 
and  that  city  had  also  sent  all  her  fire  companies 
to  assist  in  checking  the  flames,  after  the  bom- 
bardment was  over. 

A  little  after  eight  o'clock,  the  Spanish  frigates 
and  the  Vincidora  stood  in,  and  took  their  stations 
near  the  shore.  About  nine  o'clock,  a  signal  was 
hoisted  on  the  Numantia,  lying  just  to  the  north- 
ward of  our  ships,  and  her  consorts  opened  fire. 
At  first,  except  when  a  slanting  roof  was  struck, 
we  could  not  see  that  much  damage  was  being 
done,  for  nearly  all  the  buildings  were  of  stone, 
but  soon  smoke  began  to  rise  above  the  bonded 
warehouses,  and  it  was  evident  fires  had  started. 
Very  shortly  these  began  to  spread,  especially  in 
the  southern  portion  of  the  city.  The  firing  from 
the  ships  was  erratic.  Sometimes  a  frigate  would 
let  go  a  whole  broadside,  and  again  the  shots 
would  be  intermittent.  A  little  after  eleven,  the 
Numantia  hoisted  another  signal,  upon  which  the 


156      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

ships  ceased  firing,  and  stood  out  past  us  to  their 
former  anchorage.  We  immediately  ran  in,  and 
sent  large  fire  parties  from  all  our  ships.  As 
we  pulled  in  to  the  mole  —  as  the  landing  place 
in  front  of  the  custom  house  was  called  —  we 
could  see  that  it  was  torn  up  in  every  direc- 
tion. The  building  from  the  front  showed  only 
holes  where  the  projectiles  had  entered,  but  the 
moment  we  passed  through  the  arched  gateway 
we  found  a  complete  wreck,  and  the  square  be- 
tween it  and  the  Intendencia  was  filled  with 
debris.  The  building  itself  was  ruined.  The 
fires  were  soon  under  control,  and  late  in  the 
afternoon  our  fire  parties  were  withdrawn.  We 
did  not  hear  of  any  loss  of  life,  which  was  not 
extraordinary,  as  the  city  was  deserted.  It  was 
said  that  property  amounting  to  many  millions 
of  dollars  was  destroyed,  but  there  was  never, 
to  my  knowledge,  any  careful  estimate  made. 

Beresford  says,  after  writing  of  the  bombard- 
ment : 

"  I  accompanied  a  landing  party  to  help  ex- 
tinguish the  conflagration.  We  put  the  fires 
out,  but  the  inhabitants  were  so  angry  with  us 
because  we  had  not  prevented  the  bombardment, 


THE   BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO     157 

that  they  requested  that  the  landing  party  should 
be  sent  back  to  their  ships.  Then  the  flames 
broke  out  afresh.  For  years  the  resentment  of 
the  Valparaisans  remained  so  hot  that  it  was 
inadvisable  to  land  in  the  town,  men  from  the 
British  ships." 

A  correspondent  from  the  Herald,  Mr.  Car- 
penter, who  later  became  the  secretary  of  our 
legation  in  Chile,  had  been  living  aboard  the 
Vanderhilt  until  the  day  before  the  bombardment. 
He  went  ashore  then,  and  took  up  his  quarters 
in  the  Hotel  de  Chile,  whose  proprietor,  Landais, 
was  a  Frenchman.  Early  the  next  morning 
Carpenter  started  for  a  post  of  observation  and 
safety  on  the  hills,  urging  his  host  to  accompany 
him.  The  Frenchman  emphatically  refused,  de- 
claring that  if  the  Spaniards  dared  fire  a  single 
shot  at  the  Hotel  de  Chile,  he  would  let  loose  the 
Emperor  Napoleon  and  all  "la  belle  France" 
upon  them.  Carpenter  said  about  ten  minutes 
after  the  firing  began  he  saw  a  shot  strike  the 
tiled  roof  of  Landais'  imperially  protected  hotel, 
and  go  glancing  up  it,  spreading  destruction  as 
it  went.  In  a  flash,  out  rode  Landais  on  a  big 
donkey,  a  mattress  lashed  to  his  back  to  ward 


158     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

off  projectiles.  He  headed  for  the  hills,  and  as 
he  rushed  past  Carpenter,  his  eyes  bulging  to 
such  an  extent  they  could  have  been  brushed 
off  with  a  hat,  the  latter  called  to  him  to  stop, 
as  the  danger  line  was  passed,  but  he  paid  no 
attention.  He  knew  if  he  could  only  get  the 
Andes  between  him  and  the  guns,  his  safety  would 
be  assured,  and  he  kept  on. 

In  fact,  there  was  only  one  citizen  who  weathered 
the  storm  in  Valparaiso  that  day,  and  as  he  was 
dumb,  he  could  never  tell  of  his  experience.  When 
we  first  anchored  at  Valparaiso,  the  officers  of  the 
Mohongo  told  us  of  a  dog  who  had  taken  up 
his  quarters  on  the  mole,  and  levied  a  tariff 
on  American  officers  in  uniform.  He  required 
silver  coin,  disdaining  copper.  When  he  had 
secured  the  proper  coin,  he  trotted  off  to  a  certain 
butcher's  and  exchanged  his  money  for  meat. 
It  was  even  said  —  though  I  will  not  vouch  for 
the  truth  of  this  —  that  when  contributions  had 
been  unusually  generous,  he  used  to  bury  his 
bank  roll,  drawing  upon  it  when  necessary. 

Collector,  or  Revenue  Jack,  as  he  was  sometimes 
called,  fearless  of  Her  Catholic  Majesty's  squad- 
ron, was  at  his  usual  post  on  the  mole  when  the 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO    159 

storm  broke.  Our  boats  had  been  in  early  to 
bring  off  any  Americans  who  preferred  viewing 
the  bombardment  from  the  water  instead  of  the 
hills,  and  after  they  had  returned  to  the  ships, 
Collector  was  remembered,  and  keen  were  the 
regrets  that  he  had  not  been  taken  aboard.  Mr. 
Carpenter,  who  was  armed  with  a  powerful  glass, 
said  afterwards  that  before  the  whole  scene  was 
obscured  by  smoke,  he  could  make  out  the  old 
dog,  jumping  about  on  the  mole  as  it  was  raked 
and  torn  by  shot  and  bursting  shells.  When 
our  boats  with  fire  parties  pulled  swiftly  for  the 
landing,  some  one  shouted,  "There  he  is!'*  and 
in  a  few  minutes  we  were  greeting  and  rejoicing 
over  the  excited  and  lone  defender  of  Valparaiso. 
Not  long  after  this,  the  Vanderbilt  and  Monad- 
nock  sailed  for  Callao,  leaving  the  Powhatan  and 
Tuscarora  behind  to  await  orders  from  Admiral 
Pearson.  For  hours  after  leaving  port,  we  kept 
Aconcagua,  the  loftiest  of  the  Andes,  in  sight  over 
our  starboard  quarter,  though  it  was  already 
distant  one  hundred  and  ten  land  miles  from  our 
starting  point.  We  had  left  the  Spanish  fleet 
at  Valparaiso,  but  owing  to  the  Monadnoclcs 
slow  rate  of  speed,  it  must  have  caught  up  with 


160      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

us  on  the  way  north,  for  just  after  we  made 
San  Lorenzo,  the  high  island  outside  of  Callao, 
it  was  seen  in  the  offing.  It  was  then  the  custom 
in  our  service,  dating  perhaps  from  the  attack 
upon  the  unprepared  Chesapeake^  to  carry  guns 
loaded  while  at  sea,  removing  the  charges  when 
in  port,  and  so,  as  we  neared  Callao,  the  first 
lieutenant  came  up  to  ask  the  captain's  permis- 
sion to  send  the  crew  to  quarters.  Captain 
Sanford  turned  upon  him  sharply,  "What!  un- 
load the  guns  now,  with  the  Spanish  fleet  close 
aboard  ? " 

The  Commodore,  who  was  standing  near,  half 
jokingly,  half  reproachfully  asked,  "Did  you 
have  them  loaded,  Captain,  at  Valparaiso?" 

This  was  the  only  time  I  ever  heard  him  show 
any  feeling  about  the  captain's  protests  and 
opposition. 

In  coming  to  Callao,  we  had  known  that  we 
should  probably  witness  another  bombardment, 
but  in  this  case  the  object  of  attack  was  very 
far  from  being  defenseless.  In  fact,  so  well 
prepared  were  the  Peruvians  that  it  was  said 
that  Nuflez  had  received  an  intimation  from  home 
not  to  jeopardize  his  fleet  in  an  action  with  shore 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO    161 

batteries,  but  he  felt  that  his  country  had  lost 
honor  in  the  eyes  of  other  nations  by  the  bom- 
bardment of  Valparaiso,  and  Castilian  pride 
demanded  that  he  should  fight  at  Callao. 

The  Spanish  fleet  anchored  under  San  Lorenzo, 
while  ours  took  up  a  position  nearer  the  town. 
Callao,  which  was  really  the  port  of  the  capital 
city,  Lima,  a  few  miles  inland,  was  much  less 
populous  than  Valparaiso,  and  was  defended  by 
a  citadel  and  heavy  batteries.  We  found  the 
Peruvians  had  about  sixty  guns  of  the  average 
caliber  already  mounted,  and  were  working 
desperately  upon  six  heavy  Armstrong  rifle 
guns,  but  I  think  only  two  of  these  —  three- 
hundred  pounders  —  were  in  readiness  when  the 
battle  began.  They  also  had  a  small  monitor, 
but  she  was  neither  heavily  armed  nor  armored. 
We  heard  that  they  had  among  their  forces 
several  officers  who  had  served  in  our  Union 
and  Confederate  armies.  There  were  also  two 
or  three  ex-Confederate  naval  officers  in  Callao 
at  this  time,  but  whether  the  Peruvians  made 
use  of  their  services  I  do  not  know. 

The  battle  of  Callao  commenced  a  little  after 
noon,  on  the  second  of  May,   1866.     The  iron- 


162      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

clad  Numantia  led  the  right  wing,  her  companions 
being  the  frigates  Blanca  and  Resolucion.  The 
frigates  Villa  de  Madrid,  Beranguela,  and  the 
newly  arrived  Almanza  formed  the  left  wing. 
All  the  merchant  shipping  had  been  shifted  to 
the  northward  of  its  usual  anchorage,  and  the 
Monadnoch  and  the  Vanderbilt  lay  off  the  town, 
a  position  that  gave  us  an  excellent  view  of  the 
battle,  and  was  —  the  Commodore  considered  — 
out  of  gunshot  of  the  smooth-bores,  while  as  the 
only  two  rifled  guns  were  mounted  at  the  northern 
end  of  the  line  of  batteries,  we  were  well  to  the 
right  of  their  line  of  fire. 

The  Numantia,  or  one  of  the  Peruvian  batteries 
just  beyond  her  —  we  could  not  tell  which  — 
opened  the  engagement,  and  immediately  sixty 
guns  on  shore  and  half  of  the  two  hundred  and 
seventy -five  afloat  came  into  action.  A  thick 
pall  of  smoke  hung  over  the  bay,  pierced  by 
flashes  from  the  guns,  whose  steady  roar  was 
almost  appalling.  Presently  the  cloud  began  to 
drift  away  in  spots,  and  our  attention  centered 
on  the  Beranguela,  which  seemed  to  be  entirely 
enveloped  in  smoke  or  dust.  As  it  gradually 
cleared,  we  could  see  a  large  opening  in  her  side. 


THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO    163 

amidships.  She  headed  out  at  once,  and  as  she 
passed  us,  steaming  at  full  speed  for  San  Lorenzo, 
she  was  listed  well  over  to  keep  afloat.  A  boat 
from  our  ship,  carrying  both  surgeons,  pulled 
under  her  bows  to  offer  medical  assistance,  but 
the  captain,  shouting  that  he  must  save  his  ship, 
would  not  stop.  Ten  minutes  later,  the  Villa  de 
Madrid  made  signals,  and  the  gunboat  Vincidora 
steamed  in,  and  gave  her  a  line,  so  it  was  evident 
that  her  boilers  or  machinery  were  disabled. 
With  such  a  heavy  battery  as  she  had,  it  might 
have  been  expected  that  she  would  take  the 
gunboat  alongside  and  remain  in  action,  and  we 
were  somewhat  surprised  when  we  saw  her  being 
towed  over  to  San  Lorenzo. 

The  Resolucion  hauled  out  after  two  o'clock, 
but  later  returned  and  fought  for  nearly  an  hour, 
when  she  again  retired.  The  Blanca  held  out 
until  almost  four  o'clock.  Her  captain,  Topete, 
who  was  badly  wounded  in  this  action,  later 
became  Minister  of  Marine,  and  when  in  com- 
mand at  Cadiz,  started  the  revolution  that 
overthrew  Queen  Isabella.  The  Numantia  and 
her  brave  consort,  the  Almanza,  fought  until 
sunset,  when  the  battle  ended.     The  Numantia 


164     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

was  practically  uninjured,  but  the  intrepid  Nunez, 
who  had  refused  to  go  behind  her  armor,  because 
he  wished  to  share  the  dangers  to  which  his 
companions  on  the  wooden  ships  were  exposed, 
was  severely  wounded.  We  were  told  that  Prado, 
the  President  of  Peru,  had  been  helping  to  serve 
the  guns  on  shore,  and  his  Secretary  of  War 
had  been  killed  in  one  of  the  batteries. 

About  four  o'clock,  we  had  seen  a  boat  pull 
over  from  the  Almanza  to  the  flagship,  and  were 
informed  that  she  was  taking  the  Almanza' s 
captain,  Sanchez,  over  to  confer  with  the  Admiral. 
The  conference  ended,  Sanchez  returned  to  his 
ship  and  continued  the  fight. 

It  was  my  outspoken  admiration  for  this 
bravely  fought  ship  and  her  captain  that  was 
the  occasion  for  a  talk  with  Commodore  Rodgers 
that  made  an  indelible  impression  on  me.  Mr. 
Bush  had  told  us  once  that  the  positions  the 
Commodore  took  in  an  argument,  which  so  often 
surprised  us,  came  in  many  instances  from  a 
desire  to  get  the  viewpoints  of  others.  But 
sometimes  there  was  more  beneath  the  surface, 
as  I  learned  on  this  occasion,  to  my  sorrow. 
I  had  just  given  vent  to  an  outburst  of  enthu- 


THE   BOMBARDMENT  OF  VALPARAISO     165 

siasm  for  the  gallant  Sanchez,  when  the  Com- 
modore, overhearing  me,  made  some  remark 
about  "the  pride  and  obstinacy  of  a  Spaniard." 
Although  I  felt  this  opinion  might  have  been 
advanced  for  argument's  sake,  I  was  still  con- 
siderably nettled  because  the  enthusiasm  I  had 
shown  had  been  quenched  in  such  an  unlooked- 
for  manner,  and  seeing  what  I  thought  a  vul- 
nerable point  that  I  could  seize  on,  I  said,  "Well, 
to  my  mind,  the  Almanza  is  a  nobly  fought  ship, 
and  I  know  of  none  in  our  war,  except  one,  that 
was  more  determinedly  kept  in  action." 

"Indeed!"  said  the  Commodore,  much  in- 
terested in  such  a  positive  statement.  "What 
ship  was  it?" 

"The  Galena  in  the  James  River,"  I  answered 
promptly. 

In  an  instant  the  Commodore's  face,  which 
had  been  all  eager  inquiry,  clouded  over.  He 
turned  away,  motioning  for  me  to  follow.  It 
was  not  till  we  were  quite  alone  that  he  began, 
so  slowly  and  seriously  that  his  words  have  never 
been  forgotten,  "The  Galena  was  a  mistake. 
The  monitor  was  the  right  principle.  We  could 
not  afford  mistakes,  fighting  in  such  a  war,  and 


166     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

/ 
with  the  danger  of  foreign  interference.     I  had 

to  prove  the  Galena  a  mistake.  The  poor  fellows 
who  died  on  board  her  that  day  did  not  die  in 
vain." 

My  satisfaction  in  what  I  had  thought  a  smart 
rejoinder  had  totally  crumbled  by  this  time,  and 
I  could  only  brokenly  express  my  regret,  but  the 
regret  was  even  then  tempered  by  the  feeling  that 
I  had  gained  a  still  clearer  idea  of  the  character 
of  the  man  before  me,  and  a  new  knowledge  of 
life's  values.  The  deep  sadness  of  the  Com- 
modore's face,  as  he  uttered  those  few  words, 
taught  me  that  what  the  world  regards  as  glory 
may  weigh  but  slightly  against  the  heavy  ro- 
sponsibility  such  a  man  must  face,  when  he 
communes  with  himself. 


CHAPTER  VII 

The  Wreck  of  the  Suwanee 

Many  of  us,  knowing  how  well  and  devotedly 
Commodore  Rodgers  had  served  his  coun- 
try and  how  great  were  his  natural  abilities,  felt 
that  he  had  been  insufficiently  rewarded,  and 
that  he  should  at  least  have  been  advanced 
a  grade.  But  once,  when  this  subject  was  touched 
upon,  he  said  that  he  considered  the  country 
had  treated  him  generously.  Contact  with  such 
an  officer  and  his  ideals  could  not  but  have 
its  effect  upon  the  young  men  serving  under 
him,  making  them  feel  that  good  and  even 
heroic  services  should  be  rendered,  not  for  the 
sake  of  rewards,  but  in  return  for  the  education 
given  them  and  for  their  honorable  life  positions. 

Commodore  Rodgers  has  not  been  the  only 
officer  to  express  these  views.  Admiral  John  C. 
Watson,  the  personal  aide  and  favorite  of  Farragut, 
when  claims  were  being  made  for  his   advance- 

167 


168      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

ment,  requested  that  they  be  not  urged ;  the 
intrepid  Cassel  entered  his  protest  against  the 
promotion  given  him  over  his  brother  officers ; 
and  even  the  wonderful  Gushing,  whose  exploits 
were  said  "to  have  spoiled  romance",  never  com- 
plained of  their  meager  recognition  by  an  advance 
of  one  grade. 

These  truly  chivalric  men  felt  that  a  promotion 
nobly  earned,  nobly  inspired,  but  that  an  advance 
undeserved  brought  dishonor  to  the  recipient, 
depressed  the  worthy  who  were  passed  over,  and 
encouraged  the  selfish  and  unscrupulous  who  pos- 
sessed regrettable  influence. 

It  has  been  this  spirit  permeating  our  naval 
service  that  has  made  it  what  it  is  —  able  to  keep 
its  efficiency  through  long  periods  of  peace,  and 
to  give  a  fine  account  of  itself  when  the  hour  for 
action  has  arrived. 

From  Callao  we  sailed  for  San  Francisco,  stop- 
ping at  Panama,  Acapulco,  Magdalena  Bay,  and 
San  Diego  on  our  way.  This  was  my  first  ac- 
quaintance with  the  magnificent  mountain  scenery 
of  the  west  coasts  of  Central  America  and  Mexico. 
Later  in  life,  many  of  the  mountain  peaks  seemed 
as  familiar  as  the  faces  of  old  friends,  I  used  their 


THE   WRECK  OF  THE   SUWANEE      169 

summits  so  often  in  triangulation  work.  Colima, 
Isalco,  and  Ometepe  wore  feathery  plumes  of 
smoke  on  their  superb  heads,  for  they  were  active 
volcanoes.  We  passed  close  enough  to  the  spot 
where  the  Golden  Gate  lay  beached  to  have  a  good 
look  at  the  remains  of  that  ill-fated  steamer.  She 
was  wrecked  when  on  her  way  from  San  Francisco 
to  Panama,  her  treasure  room  full,  and  many  of 
her  passengers  going  home  with  fortunes  from  the 
gold  fields.  We  had  been  told  that  when  the 
catastrophe  occurred,  and  some  of  these  people 
in  their  rage  and  despair  were  flinging  on  deck  the 
bags  of  dust  and  nuggets  so  useless  to  them  then, 
one  man  who  was  known  to  be  a  powerful  swimmer 
went  about  picking  up  the  golden  harvest  and 
loading  his  pockets  with  it.  W^hen  the  steamer 
had  nearly  reached  the  beach,  the  flames  swept 
aft,  driving  all  before  them  into  the  sea.  This 
man  leaped  with  the  rest,  but  was  so  heavily 
weighted  with  his  precious  freight  that  he  went 
down  like  a  stone,  a  victim  to  his  greed. 

A  San  Francisco  wrecker  who  looted  the  treasure 
room  of  this  steamer  met  with  better  fortune.  He 
sailed  with  his  gains  to  his  home  city,  where  he 
immediately  became  involved  in  a  dispute  with 


170      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

the  courts  over  the  question  of  ownership.  But 
while  the  pubHc  attention  was  thus  centered  on 
him  in  San  Francisco,  another  of  his  schooners 
was  busily  working  away  at  the  wreck,  and 
before  the  lawyers  had  finished  wrangling,  she 
had  secured  over  a  million  in  gold,  which  was  sent 
abroad. 

When  we  reached  San  Francisco,  Commodore 
Rodgers  left  us.  Danger  of  a  war  with  France 
was  practically  over  by  that  time,  Louis  Napoleon 
having  agreed  that  his  troops  should  be  withdrawn 
from  Mexico,  a  third  at  a  time.  The  Commodore 
went  home  overland,  but  as  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  was  not  then  completed,  I  believe  he 
had  to  make  a  part  of  the  journey  on  horseback, 
under  the  escort  of  a  United  States  troop  of 
cavalry.  Admiral  Henry  Knox  Thatcher  took 
his  place. 

San  Francisco,  though  by  no  means  the  metrop- 
olis of  the  present  day,  was  the  first  American 
city  of  any  size  that  we  had  seen  since  leaving 
Philadelphia.  It  was  stirring  with  picturesque 
life  and  movement,  and  most  of  this  was  con- 
centrated on  the  water  front.  Montgomery 
Street  was  then  the  principal  thoroughfare,  and 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE   SUWANEE      171 

there  were  very  few  business  buildings  beyond 
Kearney  Street.  The  only  large  hotels  I  can 
remember  were  the  Occidental,  the  Cosmopolitan, 
and  the  What  Cheer  House,  the  last  catering 
almost  entirely  to  miners.  It  was  always 
crowded  to  the  doors,  and  one  could  pass  an 
entertaining  half  hour  at  any  time,  standing  in 
its  lobby  and  watching  its  patrons  as  they  came 
in  to  register,  often  with  their  fortunes  and  all 
their  personal  effects  in  their  belts  and  upon 
their  backs. 

I  recollect  two  theaters,  the  Metropolitan  and 
Maguire's  Opera  House,  though  there  may  have 
been  others.  I  had  a  very  slight  acquaintance 
with  their  interiors,  for  theater  tickets,  like  many 
other  things,  were  very  high  priced  in  San  Fran- 
cisco in  those  days,  and  our  pay  proportionately 
low,  when  we  came  to  exchange  our  greenbacks 
for  gold  on  shore.  My  month's  salary  as  an  en- 
sign —  one  hundred  dollars  in  greenbacks  — 
shrank  to  about  half  when  exchanged  for  specie. 
However,  as  we  were  in  three  watches,  our  shore- 
going  was  naturally  limited,  and  our  forced 
economies  did  not  trouble  us  much.  I  remember 
one  of  the  things  that  impressed  me  most,  in  a 


172      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

city  so  full  of  a  rough  and  adventurous  element, 
was  the  scarcity  of  policemen.  I  was  told  that 
there  were  only  about  two  hundred  in  all,  but 
my  informant  added  meaningly  that  the  Vigilance 
Committee  was  still  a  name  to  conjure  with,  and 
that  lamp-posts  and  rope  made  an  effective  com- 
bination in  the  hands  of  peace-loving  citizens. 

The  greater  part  of  the  time  that  I  remained 
on  the  Vanderhilt  was  spent  in  San  Francisco 
harbor,  with  the  exception  of  one  trip  which  we 
made  to  Honolulu.  Queen  Emma,  the  wife  of 
Kamehameha  V,  had  just  returned  to  this  country 
from  a  visit  to  England,  and  we  were  detailed  to 
give  her  a  passage  home.  Admiral  Thatcher 
turned  over  his  cabin  to  her  and  an  Englishwoman 
in  her  suite,  a  Miss  Spurgeon.  The  queen  was 
an  agreeable  and  cultivated  woman,  but  the 
English  companion  was  a  good  deal  of  a  trial  to 
the  Admiral.  She  generally  contrived  to  lead 
the  conversation  at  meals  to  "odious"  com- 
parisons between  the  North  and  South,  always 
assuming  that  every  one  must  concede  the  latter 
to  be  immensely  superior,  though  of  course  if  she 
were  wrong  in  these  views  she  was  amiably  anxious 
that  the  "dear  Admiral"   should  set  her  right. 


THE  WTIECK  OF  THE   SUWANEE      173 

The  restraint  which  the  Admiral's  chivalry  put 
upon  him,  while  in  the  cabin,  was  usually  followed 
by  a  terrific  outburst  as  soon  as  he  reached  the  deck. 
During  the  month  we  were  anchored  in  the 
harbor  of  Honolulu,  Queen  Emma  kept  the 
ship's  company  generously  supplied  with  fresh 
provisions,  ranging  from  vegetables  to  cattle. 
One  day,  a  young  bull  managed  to  break  loose, 
after  being  hoisted  on  board,  and  as  he  was  an 
active  animal,  he  soon  cleared  the  forecastle. 
The  crew  came  rushing  down  the  port  gangway. 
I  was  officer  of  the  deck  at  the  time,  and  hearing 
the  tumult,  I  came  hurrying  over  to  check  it. 
The  men,  more  concerned  about  the  bull  than 
my  orders,  paid  no  attention,  but  swept  on,  and 
luckily  I  got  a  clue  to  their  behavior  by  a  sight 
of  horns  and  tail  flourishing  in  the  rear.  In  a 
second  I  had  joined  the  rout.  I  made  a  jump 
for  the  rail,  which  was  low  and  had  a  molding 
outboard,  and  there  I  clung,  watching  the 
triumph  of  his  Bullship,  who  for  a  brief  space 
had  the  entire  deck  to  himself.  He  was  finally 
entangled  with  ropes  dropped  from  the  rigging, 
and  being  thrown  down,  was  dragged  off,  still 
snorting  defiance. 


174      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Among  the  quantities  of  fowls  sent  off  by 
Queen  Emma  were  a  number  of  gamecocks,  or  so 
the  men  chose  to  consider  them.  Each  mess  in 
the  ship's  company  had  its  champion,  of  which  it 
proudly  boasted,  while  the  cocks  themselves 
crowed  a  challenge  to  all  comers.  One  after- 
noon, a  sailor  who  had  been  amusing  himself 
fishing  for  gulls  with  the  usual  outfit  of  cord 
and  salt  pork,  happened  to  catch  one.  He  put 
his  captive  in  a  vacant  chicken  coop,  and  some 
one  suggested  introducing  a  gamecock  to  see  if 
a  fight  could  be  brought  off.  The  rooster  was 
ready.  As  soon  as  he  landed  in  the  coop  and 
discovered  the  other  bird,  he  uttered  a  shrill  crow, 
and  ruffling  his  neck  feathers  for  war,  flew  at  the 
gull  and  spurred  him  severely.  The  gull  was 
visibly  surprised.  He  was  lonely  and  strange  in 
his  new  surroundings,  and  had  rather  welcomed 
the  advent  of  the  cock  as  a  companion  in  misery. 
He  drew  back  into  his  corner  to  meditate  on  this 
turn  of  affairs,  but  the  little  feathered  bomb  flew 
up  again  and  hit  him  another  smart  clip.  When 
this  happened  a  third  time,  it  seemed  to  occur  to 
him  that  this  other  bird  actually  meant  to  be 
unpleasant.     He   suddenly   darted   forward,    and 


THE   WRECK  OF  THE   SUWANEE      175 

seizing  the  rooster  by  the  head,  made  a  vaKant 
and  determined  attempt  to  swallow  him  entire. 
When  he  finally  gave  up,  and  that  gamecock 
got  his  head  out  of  chancery,  he  was  absolutely 
quelled,  and  his  only  idea  was  to  find  a  space 
between  the  slats  of  the  coop  wide  enough  to 
squeeze  through. 

A  second  and  a  third  champion  entered  the 
lists  and  were  disposed  of  in  the  same  way.  The 
gull  did  not  wait  for  them  to  declare  war.  He  had 
found  that  "watchful  waiting"  did  not  pay.  I 
then  insisted  that  the  victor  should  be  freed. 

Prince  —  afterwards  King  —  Kalakaua  was  a 
frequent  visitor  to  the  Vanderbilt.  He  came  off 
one  day  for  lunch,  bringing  with  him,  as  a  con- 
tribution to  that  meal,  a  roast  dog,  a  highly  rated 
native  delicacy.  He  explained  that  it  was  poy 
fed,  and  I  think  was  a  little  disappointed  that  we 
did  not  take  to  it  with  more  enthusiasm. 

The  heir  to  the  throne,  Prince  Billy,  as  he  was 
called,  spent  nearly  all  his  time  at  Waikiki,  swim- 
ming among  the  breakers  like  a  fish,  or  drinking 
like  one,  on  shore.     I  never  remember  seeing  him. 

About  seven  months  after  we  left  Honolulu,  I 
and  several  other  officers  were  transferred  from 


176      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

the  Vanderbilt  to  the  Suwanee,  a  double-ender, 
whose  captain  was  Commander  Young.  He  died 
soon  after  we  joined  the  ship  and  was  succeeded 
by  Commander  Richard  L.  Law.  We  were  lying 
at  Panama  at  this  time,  where  we  had  just  relieved 
the  Dacotah.  A  massacre,  which  had  taken 
place  at  Panama,  and  in  which  a  number  of 
Americans  returning  from  California  had  been 
killed,  caused  our  Government  to  keep  a  vessel 
of  the  Pacific  squadron  at  that  port,  except  at 
those  times  when  an  English  man-of-war  could 
undertake  the  duty^.  On  several  occasions  it 
had  been  necessary  to  land  an  armed  force,  but 
as  a  rule  the  presence  of  the  ship  was  enough  to 
protect  foreigners  and  their  property.  Yellow 
fever  was  much  dreaded  in  those  days,  and  with 
reason.  One  of  our  ships,  the  Resaca,  during  her 
stay  at  Panama,  had  lost  twenty-five  men  out  of 
a  crew  numbering  less  than  two  hundred,  and 
when  she  passed  us  near  Acapulco  on  her  way  up 
the  coast,  she  still  had  many  sick  on  board. 
Under  these  conditions,  of  course,  very  little  shore 
leave  was  granted.  One  day,  however,  two  of 
our  officers.  Lieutenant  Commander  Wood  and 
Ensign    Wilson,    with    their    boat's    crew,   were 


THE   WRECK   OF  THE   SUWANEE      177 

given  permission  to  go  ashore.  They  wanted  to 
visit  the  ruins  of  the  old  tower,  the  only  vestige 
left  to  mark  the  site  of  Old  Panama,  the  city 
destroyed  two  centuries  before  by  Morgan  and 
his  buccaneers.  It  came  near  being  a  fatal  visit 
for  them. 

The  party,  having  made  a  landing,  left  one  man 
to  look  out  for  the  boat,  which  was  drawn  up  on 
the  beach.  Unfortunately,  this  man,  or  rather 
boy,  was  an  inexperienced  landsman,  and  took  a 
crazy  notion  to  experiment  with  his  charge  in 
the  absence  of  the  others.  They  had  not  gone 
far  when  they  heard  wild  cries  for  help,  and 
rushing  back  to  the  beach,  saw  their  boat,  her 
bow  pointed  to  sea  and  her  jib  set,  already  some 
distance  from  the  shore.  Her  panic-stricken 
occupant,  in  answer  to  repeated  shouts  to  "haul 
down  the  jib",  threw  himself  down  in  the  stern 
sheets  and  stretched  his  arms  despairingly  to  the 
little  group  on  the  beach.  Seeing  it  was  useless 
to  expect  anything  from  him.  Wood  and  Wilson 
began  to  look  about  for  some  means  of  pursuit, 
and  finally  found  an  old  native  canoe,  hollowed 
out  from  a  single  log.  In  this  frail  and  treacherous 
craft  they  courageously  put  off,  and  as  they  be- 


178      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

came  more  accustomed  to  the  use  of  the  paddle, 
were  gradually  gaining  on  the  boat,  when  the 
breeze  freshened,  and  she  began  to  draw  away 
from  them.  It  was  then  that  the  desperate  nature 
of  their  venture  came  upon  them,  for  with  the 
breeze,  the  sea  was  getting  up,  and  it  was  doubt- 
ful if  they  could  have  returned  to  the  shore,  even 
had  they  been  willing  to  give  up  all  hope  of 
rescuing  the  author  of  their  troubles.  They 
continued  to  shout  to  him  to  lower  the  sail,  but 
with  absolutely  no  effect. 

The  sailors  left  upon  the  beach  watched 
pursuers  and  pursued  out  of  sight,  and  then 
began  the  six-mile  walk  into  Panama.  It  was 
nearly  evening  before  they  reached  their  ship, 
and  as  all  knew  it  would  be  a  matter  of  several 
hours  before  she  could  get  up  steam,  and  the 
breeze  was  carrying  the  two  boats  to  the  east- 
ward all  the  time,  off  the  track  of  the  few  steamers 
coming  to  Panama,  it  was  felt  that  there  was 
practically  no  hope  of  a  rescue. 

The  improbable  occurred  however,  as  it  some- 
times does.  An  English  man-of-war,  the  Malacca, 
commanded  by  Captain  Oldfields,  was  coming  up 
the  coast  under  sail  and  stood  well  over  to  the 


THE   WTIECK  OF  THE   SUWANEE      179 

eastward.  She  was  just  putting  about  when 
cries  for  assistance  were  heard  in  the  darkness. 
She  rounded  to,  and  in  a  few  minutes  a  canoe 
manned  by  two  almost  exhausted  but  very  thank- 
ful young  men  came  alongside.  A  little  later 
the  boat  with  its  prostrate  occupant  was  sighted 
and  hoisted  on  board,  and  before  the  night  was 
over,  the  Suwanee  had  her  full  complement  again. 

I  had  had  two  promotions  while  on  the  Vander- 
hilt.  I  was  promoted  to  the  grade  of  master,  in 
'QQ,  and  to  that  of  lieutenant  in  '67.  When  we 
went  north  to  San  Francisco  in  the  Suwanee, 
I  passed  my  examination  for  lieutenant  com- 
mander, reaching  this  grade  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four.  We  did  not  remain  long  in  San  Francisco, 
having  received  orders  to  proceed  to  Alaska,  which 
had  only  recently  come  into  our  possession.  We 
went  first  to  Victoria,  Vancouver,  and  after  a 
short  stay,  started  on  our  way  to  Sitka. 

We  got  no  farther  than  the  northern  end  of 
Vancouver  Island.  We  were  running  out  of 
Johnson's  Straits  the  morning  of  July  7.  It  was 
about  six  o'clock,  and  I  had  the  deck.  We  were 
traveling  at  full  speed,  with  the  current  adding 
two  or  three  knots,  when  the  ship  struck  an  un- 


180      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

known  rock,  and  almost  instantly  became  a 
complete  wreck.  The  impact  was  so  great  that 
men  were  thrown  from  their  feet,  and  those  of 
the  crew  who  were  sleeping  were  pitched  from 
their  hammocks.  A  few  who  were  temporarily 
demoralized  ran  to  the  boats,  but  the  watch  on 
deck  behaved  admirably.  The  marines  went 
promptly  to  their  stations  at  the  boat-falls,  and 
by  the  time  the  captain  and  officers  reached  the 
deck,  and  Sanders,  the  executive,  relieved  me, 
comparative  quiet  was  restored.  The  engine 
was  stopped  at  once,  so  there  was  a  full  head  of 
steam  to  blow  off.  The  captain  —  whom  the 
shock  had  thrown  from  the  transom  where  he  was 
sleeping  —  called  to  me  as  he  came  up  the  com- 
panion way  to  know  if  I  had  sounded  the  pumps. 
I  answered,  "Why,  Captain,  the  whole  bottom 
is  torn  out  of  her,  from  bow  to  amidships."  In- 
deed she  had  already  started  to  break  in  two.  The 
bow  was  settling,  and  the  deck  planking  beginning 
to  separate.  All  at  once,  with  a  splintering  crash, 
she  parted  through  the  gun  ports,  just  forward 
of  the  hurricane  deck.  About  thirty  men  were 
left  on  the  forecastle,  and  the  captain  asked  if  I 
could  get  across  and  join  them.     I  managed  it 


THE  WRECK  OF  THE   SUWANEE      181 

easily  enough,  and  though  the  bow  of  the  ship 
had  completely  gone  under,  the  rest  of  her  was 
so  high  upon  the  rock  that  we  were  able  to  get 
at  the  storerooms  and  broke  out  a  number  of 
barrels  of  beef  and  pork.  The  executive  shouted 
across  to  us  to  cut  away  the  rigging,  so  that  the 
foremast  would  fall  over  the  side,  but  as  the  mast 
and  rigging  would  have  been  our  only  refuge  if 
the  ship  slipped  from  her  position  into  deep  water, 
I  protested  against  this.  Even  then  the  deck 
was  so  steeply  inclined  that  we  had  to  use  the 
cleats  and  ropes  to  keep  our  footing. 

A  grating  that  chanced  to  drop  overboard 
was  instantly  seized  by  the  force  of  the  current, 
and  sucked  under  the  ship,  and  this  was  too 
much  for  the  nerves  of  our  chief  boatswain's 
mate.  I  had  already  suspected  this  man  of 
cowardice,  and  now  I  saw  him  making  a  stealthy 
attempt  to  reach  the  after  part  of  the  ship.  I 
was  about  to  call  attention  to  him,  when  Chap- 
man, one  of  our  petty  officers,  intervened.  "Let 
him  go,  Mr.  Clark !  The  cur  is  demoralizing  the 
men!'' 

A  little  later,  when  the  provisions  we  had  broken 
out  had  been  hauled  over  by  lines  to  the  hurri- 


182      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

cane  deck,  all  hands  assembled  there,  and  the 
boats  were  manned  and  loaded.  The  after  end 
of  the  ship  was  by  this  time  well  under  water  also, 
and  as  I  had  had  no  opportunity  to  go  to  my 
stateroom,  I  should  have  lost  all  my  effects,  had 
it  not  been  for  the  thoughtfulness  of  Ensign 
Perry,  and  a  sergeant  of  marines  named  Burke. 
They  had  snatched  the  blankets  from  my  bunk, 
and  emptying  the  contents  of  drawers  and  stowage 
places  into  them,  had  tied  them  into  a  bundle 
by  the  four  corners.  So  nearly  all  my  things  were 
saved. 

We  were  near  Hope  Island,  and  the  boats  were 
able  to  land  behind  a  point,  but  in  spite  of  its 
protection,  the  sea  was  running  heavily  enough 
to  capsize  the  first  three  or  four.  When  it  came 
my  turn  to  shove  off,  the  captain  asked  me  to 
take  charge  of  his  kit,  saying  he  was  going  to 
trust  it  to  my  management,  or  luck.  When  we 
pulled  in,  it  looked  at  first  as  if  we  were  really  to 
make  a  successful  landing,  but  a  few  moments 
after  our  bow  touched  the  beach,  a  heavy  roller 
caught  us  under  the  quarter,  and  turned  the  boat 
over,  only  two  or  three  of  us  managing  to  jump 
clear.    Luckily,  the  water  was  deep  enough  to  keep 


THE   WRECK  OF  THE   SUWANEE      183 

us  from  being  crushed  among  the  rocks  when  the 
boat  rolled  over  us.  The  captain's  faith  was 
justified,  for  his  effects  had  been  pitched  ashore 
at  once  and  landed  high  and  dry,  but  mine  were 
submerged  with  me.  As  they  floated  to  the  sur- 
face, an  Indian  —  there  were  a  number  of  them 
hovering  about  in  canoes  —  seized  the  bundle  and 
started  to  make  off  with  it,  but  one  of  our  people 
who  saw  what  was  happening  pulled  a  rifle  on 
him,  and  compelled  him  to  restore  my  property. 

Everybody  having  landed  safely,  the  captain 
that  same  day  sent  Lieutenant  Commander 
Frank  Wildes,  in  charge  of  one  of  the  ship's  boats, 
with  orders  to  proceed  through  the  Gulf  of  Georgia 
to  get  help  from  Victoria,  or  one  of  the  Puget 
Sound  ports.  He  had  not  gone  far  when  he 
fortunately  fell  in  with  H.  M.  S.  Sparrowhawk, 
Her  captain.  Commander  Porcher,  took  him  and 
his  crew  on  board,  and  started  for  Hope  Island 
at  full  speed,  arriving  the  second  day  after  the 
wreck.  The  Sparrowhawk^s  prompt  arrival  was 
most  welcome,  for  although  we  had  built  the  best 
tents  we  could  of  awnings  and  sails,  they  were 
very  inadequate  protection  from  the  heavy  rains. 

As  the  SparrowhawFs  capacity  was  limited,  we 


184      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

soon  realized  that  a  number  of  us  would  have  to 
be  left  behind.  Wlien  the  captain  informed  me 
that  he  meant  to  leave  me  in  charge  of  this  party, 
my  feelings  were  somewhat  mixed.  The  prospect 
of  being  stranded  on  Hope  Island  for  an  uncertain 
length  of  time  was  not  particularly  pleasing,  and 
yet  I  was  rather  flattered  that  the  captain  had 
chosen  me  for  a  position  of  trust  which  he  might 
have  offered  to  any  one  of  the  three  officers  who 
were  my  seniors.  He  allowed  me  to  select  my 
men,  those  who  volunteered  to  be  preferred. 
Ensign  Thomas  Wilson,  assistant  engineers  Green- 
leaf  and  Chasmar,  and  thirty-three  men  —  all 
volunteers  —  were  detailed.  The  captain's  only 
instructions  were  that  everything  possible  was  to 
be  saved  from  the  wreck,  and  that  a  constant 
watch  must  be  kept  upon  the  Indians,  who  were 
gathering  in  great  numbers.  They  were  well 
armed,  many  of  them  having  breech-loading 
rifles,  like  our  own.  The  principal  chief  in  the 
vicinity  was  called  Cheap,  and  he  looked  upon 
the  English  as  his  natural  enemies. 

The  officers  and  men  of  the  Sparrowhawk  did 
everything  possible  for  our  people  who  were 
embarking  with  them,  and  also  for  those  remain- 


THE   \\TIECK  OF  THE   SUWANEE      185 

ing  behind.  Lieutenant  Reginald  Townsend  came 
ashore  repeatedly,  bringing  everything  he  could 
think  of  for  my  comfort,  both  from  his  personal 
effects,  and  what  could  be  drawn  from  the  ship's 
stores.  We  soon  had  our  tents  quite  comfortable 
and  rainproof,  except  for  the  heaviest  downpours. 

When  Chasmar  volunteered  to  be  one  of  the 
party  left  with  me,  I  was  quite  concerned,  for  he 
was  seemingly  wasted  with  consumption,  and 
during  the  year  I  had  been  with  him  had  had 
eight  or  ten  hemorrhages.  I  felt  that  the  con- 
stant dampness  and  exposure  would  be  almost 
fatal  to  one  with  his  complaint.  To  my  great 
surprise  he  seemed  to  benefit  rather  than  otherwise 
by  the  camp  life.  There  were  five  staff  oflacers 
on  the  Suwanee,  and  as  Chasmar  outlived  them 
all,  I  think  he  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  earliest 
examples  of  what  the  open-air  treatment  can 
accomplish. 

The  instant  the  departing  Sparrowhawk  had 
turned  a  point.  Cheap,  the  "bad  Indian",  came  out 
from  behind  another  where  he  had  been  lurking. 
By  good  fortune,  one  of  the  marines  in  my  party 
knew  the  Siwash  dialect,  so  we  had  a  powwow. 
Cheap  proclaimed  sovereignty  over  all  the  islands 


186      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

and  waters  in  the  neighborhood,  and  complained 
that  the  presence  of  the  British  gunboat  had 
kept  him  from  exacting  his  rightful  tribute  from 
the  wreck.  This  must  now  be  made  good  to 
him.  I  replied,  through  our  interpreter,  that 
there  could  be  no  question  of  tribute,  for  while 
I  was  on  the  island  I  was  the  one  and  only  chief. 
The  water  in  front  was  also  under  my  jurisdiction. 
I  would  graciously  permit  the  Indians  to  come 
into  the  bay  however,  provided  they  kept  away 
from  the  beach  in  front  of  the  camp,  and  did  not 
approach  it  from  the  woods  in  the  rear.  That 
since  we  were  not  "King  George  men"  with  whom 
he  was  engaged  in  war,  I  would  be  glad  to  trade 
with  him,  and  if  he  brought,  or  sent  to  the  camp, 
every  day,  a  deer,  or  a  large  salmon,  tobacco, 
flannel,  and  blankets  would  be  generously  returned. 
Cheap  seemed  satisfied  with  these  terms,  and 
as  he  was  a  wily  individual,  and  quite  alive  to 
his  own  interests,  I  really  believe  he  used  all  his 
influence  while  we  were  there  to  keep  the  peace, 
but  as  the  Indians  continued  to  gather,  and  we 
knew  that  the  fresh  arrivals  were  avaricious,  we 
still  felt  that  there  was  some  danger  of  an  out- 
break.    One  day,  when  several  hundred  of  them 


THE   WRECK  OF  THE   SUWANEE      187 

had  congregated  in  front  of  our  camp,  and  were 
showing  a  constant  disposition  to  edge  closer,  we 
ran  out  a  twelve-pound  howitzer  from  its  hiding- 
place  in  the  woods.  Having  neither  shrapnel  nor 
canister,  we  had  —  this  was  the  suggestion  of 
Ingraham,  a  boatswain's  mate  —  filled  it  nearly 
full  of  small  cans  packed  with  pebbles.  We 
motioned  the  Indians  to  stand  aside,  giving  them 
to  understand  in  sign  language  that  every  living 
thing  in  our  line  of  fire  would  cease  to  exist.  When 
we  had  finally  secured  a  clear  field  and  let  go,  it 
seemed  as  if  a  perfect  storm  of  hail  had  burst 
upon  the  waters  of  the  bay.  After  the  gun  had 
been  run  back  to  its  lair,  we  beckoned  the  aborig- 
ines to  return,  but  very  few  accepted  the  invita- 
tion. Even  our  friend  Cheap  at  his  next  visit 
seemed  very  ill  at  ease.  In  spite  of  the  respect 
this  manoeuver  had  inspired,  we  kept  up  all 
precautions.  One  commissioned  ofiicer,  with  a 
petty  ofiicer  and  four  men,  were  on  guard,  day 
and  night.  I  still  had  in  reserve  the  threat  of 
uncorking  a  bottle  of  smallpox,  so  effective,  as 
Washington  Irving  tells  us,  in  "Astoria." 

One  morning,  we  found  that  a  small  steamer, 
the  Otter,  belonging  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company, 


188      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

had  come  to  anchor  off  our  camp.  I  had  an 
interview  with  her  captain  and  contracted  with 
him  to  take  us  and  such  stores  as  were  saved  to 
Victoria.  He  was  rather  inchned  to  take  advan- 
tage of  our  situation,  we  thought,  and  I  conse- 
quently enjoyed  his  confusion  and  rueful  protests, 
when  I  made  him  include  among  his  receipts  a 
quantity  of  brass  tubes,  which  he  had  stowed 
away  as  part  of  his  own  cargo.  We  had  intended 
to  take  them  out  of  the  wreck  at  low  tide,  but 
discovered  the  morning  before  we  sailed  that  the 
captain  had  forestalled  us  at  this  work. 

On  our  way  south  in  the  Otter  we  met  the 
Sparrowhawk  coming  north,  just  at  the  upper 
end  of  Seymour's  Narrows.  Her  captain  brought 
word  from  Admiral  Thatcher  that  he  was  sending 
a  small  steamer,  the  Forward,  to  the  scene  of 
the  wreck  to  bring  us  away,  and  that  the  Suwanee's 
guns  must  be  saved  if  possible.  I  concluded  that 
I  might  as  well  continue  in  the  Otter  until  we  should 
meet  the  Forward,  and  it  was  not  long  after  this 
that  we  sighted  a  large  bay  steamer,  the  New 
World,  which  it  seemed  had  been  sent  in  her 
place.  On  board  was  our  navigator,  Lieutenant 
Commander  George  Wood,  Ensign  Thomas  Perry, 


THE   WRECK   OF  THE   SUWANEE      189 

and  twenty  of  our  men.  The  admiral  had  sent 
me  permission  to  travel  south  at  the  first  oppor- 
tunity, but  Greenleaf,  Chasmar,  Wilson,  and  I 
decided  to  transfer  to  the  New  World  and  return 
with  Wood  to  Hope  Island.  Perry  took  Wilson's 
place  in  the  Otter. 

The  New  World  had  brought  diving  apparatus, 
and  a  professional  diver,  rejoicing  in  the  eupho- 
nious title  of  "Billy  the  Bug",  but  when  this 
gentleman  saw  the  position  of  the  wreck,  he 
decided  the  risks  were  too  great  and  declined  the 
job.  Hearing  of  this,  Mirch,  our  gunner's  mate, 
immediately  volunteered  his  services.  The  day 
he  began  operations  everything  was  favorable, 
and  though  the  current  was  strong,  the  water 
was  so  clear  that  the  hatches  of  the  storeroom  on 
the  second  deck  below  could  be  plainly  seen. 
While  Mirch's  armor  and  helmet  were  being  ad- 
justed on  the  hurricane  deck,  the  Indians,  who 
had  flocked  to  the  scene  in  their  canoes,  were  in 
a  fever  of  excitement,  which  even  their  stoicism 
failed  to  conceal.  A  number  of  them,  shepherded 
by  Cheap,  were  roosting  along  that  part  of  the 
ship's  rail  which  had  not  been  submerged.  They 
kept  a  tight  clutch  on  their  canoes,  and  it  was 


190      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE   NAVY 

perfectly  evident  they  would  have  jumped  into 
them  and  viewed  what  was  going  on  at  a  safer 
distance,  if  Cheap  had  not  commanded  them  by 
motions  to  remain.  He  was  a  public  character 
with  a  reputation  to  maintain,  and  could  not 
afford  to  show  any  signs  of  fear.  There  were  a 
few  moments  of  terrible  tension,  when  Mirch, 
who  had  been  lowered  to  the  spar  deck,  walked 
slowly  along  it,  remaining  an  unnatural  length 
of  time  beneath  the  water,  as  it  seemed  to  them. 
But  when  he  approached  the  steerage  hatch,  and 
began  his  descent  into  the  deeper  darkness  below, 
flesh  and  blood  could  bear  it  no  longer.  It  was 
too  much  even  for  Cheap.  With  a  cry  of  terror, 
he  leaped  for  his  canoe  and  led  the  flight.  We 
could  see  him  and  his  followers  still  spattering 
water,  as  they  rounded  the  point,  and  it  was  several 
days  before  they  again  honored  us  with  a  visit. 
Usually  we  would  have  been  glad  enough  to 
have  them  keep  away,  but  at  this  time  it  happened 
that  Wood  wanted  to  get  some  information  from 
Cheap,  and  after  waiting  in  vain  for  him  to  put 
in  an  appearance,  finally  decided  to  make  a  visit 
to  his  village.  Wood  and  I  were  the  only  officers 
in  the  party,  and  we  had  our  revolvers  in  our 


THE   WRECK   OF  THE   SUWANEE      191 

belts,  but  none  of  the  men  in  our  boat's  crew  were 
armed,  as  we  considered  that  we  were  making 
a  friendly  call.  We  discovered  soon  after  land- 
ing that  the  friendliness  was  all  on  one  side. 
Cheap  was  not  at  home,  and  in  his  absence  we 
found  we  were  distinctly  unwelcome.  An  ugly- 
looking  half-breed,  who  was  manifestly  trying  to 
foment  the  ill  feeling  against  us,  came  up  to  me, 
gesturing  and  muttering  excitedly,  and  before  I 
knew  what  he  was  about,  snatched  the  revolver 
from  my  belt.  Quick  as  the  action  was.  Wood 
was  quicker.  Before  the  half-breed  could  free 
my  revolver  of  its  leather  guard.  Wood's  was  at 
his  head,  and  the  cool  contact  of  its  muzzle  caused 
him  to  hand  back  my  weapon  with  almost  comical 
rapidity.  The  other  Indians,  who  had  surged 
forward  on  this  movement  of  their  leader's,  re- 
treated, and  Wood,  lowering  his  revolver  slowly, 
motioned  the  half-breed  to  go,  and  he  slunk  off 
completely  cowed.  It  occurred  to  me  that  it 
would  have  been  prudent  to  have  held  him  as  a 
hostage  until  we  were  safely  in  our  boat,  but 
Wood's  contemptuous  treatment  of  him  so  im- 
pressed the  other  Indians  that  they  gave  us  no 
further  trouble. 


192      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

We  saved  all  the  ammunition  in  the  after  part 
of  the  Suwanee  and  her  guns,  with  the  exception 
of  the  forward  one-hundred  pounder.  That  the 
Indians  did  a  little  salvage  work  on  their  own 
account  was  proved  in  a  curious  way,  some 
twenty  years  later.  Commander  Hitchcock  of 
our  service  was  at  that  time  recovering  from  an 
illness  in  a  hospital  at  Victoria.  One  day,  when 
his  dinner  was  brought  to  him,  he  noticed  that 
the  silver  spoon  and  fork  lying  on  the  tray  were 
marked  "Thomas  Perry,  U.  S.  N."  He  ques- 
tioned the  nurse  and  found  that  the  two  articles 
had  been  left  at  the  hospital  by  a  poor  Indian 
who  had  been  treated  there,  and  who  had  insisted 
on  bestowing  the  only  valuables  he  had,  in  grati- 
tude for  kindnesses  received.  Commander  Hitch- 
cock was  able  to  purchase  the  fork  and  spoon  and 
sent  them  to  their  original  owner,  now  a  rear 
admiral  on  the  retired  list. 

On  our  way  to  Victoria,  we  had  occasion  to 
prove  the  power  of  the  current  in  Seymour's 
Narrows,  where  a  few  years  later  the  U.S.S. 
Saranac  was  lost.  We  were  caught  in  the  narrows 
by  the  full  force  of  the  ebb,  and  despite  our 
utmost  efforts,  we  were  not  able  to  win  through. 


THE   WRECK   OF  THE   SUWANEE      193 

The  chart  states  that  the  current  there  runs  from 
six  to  nine  knots,  but  although  the  New  World 
could  make  eleven  knots,  she  was  unable  to  over- 
come it.  Two  or  three  times,  by  bottling  up  our 
steam  until  we  came  to  the  worst  place,  we 
managed  to  bring  her  bow  almost  to  the  end  of 
the  gorge,  where  she  hung  quivering  for  an  in- 
stant, only  to  be  swept  back  by  the  relentless 
force  of  the  water.  Finally  we  gave  it  up  and 
ran  into  Plumper  Bay,  some  distance  above  the 
entrance,  where  we  waited  for  the  flood  tide. 

On  our  arrival  at  Victoria,  we  were  somewhat 
disturbed  to  learn  that  this  New  World,  in  which 
by  wording  of  the  contract  we  were  to  continue 
our  way  to  San  Francisco,  had  been  condemned 
as  unsafe  for  even  the  enclosed  waters  of  Puget 
Sound.  There  was  no  telegraphic  communica- 
tion then  with  either  Washington  or  San  Fran- 
cisco, which  left  Lieutenant  Commander  Wood 
in  an  embarrassing  position.  He  had  to  choose 
between  entailing  on  the  Government  the  extra 
expense  of  our  passage  on  another  steamer,  an 
expenditure  it  might  refuse  to  recognize,  or  the 
distressing  alternative  of  risking  more  than  fifty 
lives   under   his   charge.     The   English   admiral, 


194      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Hastings,  whose  flagship  the  Zealous  was  lying 
at  Esquimalt,  showed  much  concern  over  our 
situation.  He  expressed  the  opinion  that  our 
admiral,  Thatcher,  could  certainly  not  have  known 
when  he  made  the  contract  what  a  rotten  hulk 
the  New  World  was,  and  when  he  heard  that  Wood 
had  decided  he  must  try  to  get  through  in  her  to 
San  Francisco,  he  strongly  advised  the  engaging 
of  another  steamer.  If  our  Navy  Department 
censured  such  a  course,  which  appeared  unlikely, 
he  would  be  glad  to  state  that  he  had  been  respon- 
sible for  the  action  as  far  as  a  superior  officer  in 
another  service  could  be.  Finally,  during  a  visit 
he  made  to  the  New  World,  he  declared  that  rather 
than  see  nearly  sixty  American  officers  and  men 
put  to  sea  in  such  a  death  trap,  he  would  trans- 
port them  in  his  own  ship.  It  was  a  pity  Wood 
did  not  feel  himself  in  a  position  to  accept  this 
generous  and  considerate  offer,  for  coming  to 
public  notice  at  a  time  when  the  Alabama  claims 
were  being  adjusted,  it  might  have  helped  to 
bring  about  a  kindlier  feeling  between  the  two 
countries. 

After  all,  our  old  "death  trap"  took  us   safely 
to  San  Francisco,  but  that  was  merely  good  luck. 


THE   WRECK  OF  THE   SUWANEE      195 

because  for  seven  hundred  miles,  and  during 
seventy  hours,  we  ran  over  an  absolutely  glassy 
sea.  Only  once,  in  a  long  swell  off  Cape  Mendo- 
cino, did  she  roll  to  her  guards,  and  that  roll 
brought  everybody  up  on  deck,  ready  to  take  to 
the  boats  at  an  instant's  notice. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

An  Asiatic  Cruise 

Detached  from  the  Pacific  fleet  and  ordered 
home,  I  took  passage  on  the  steamer  Golden  City 
for  Panama.  At  Aspinwall,  now  called  Colon, 
I  transferred  to  the  Alaska.  She  was  just  casting 
off  her  lines  to  leave  the  dock,  when  a  messenger 
came  running  down  it  with  orders  for  the  captain 
to  make  fast  again,  and  wait  for  passengers  just 
arrived  at  Panama  by  a  South  Pacific  steamer. 
They  proved  to  be  officers  and  men  from  the 
Dacotah,  and  the  survivors  of  the  Wateree  and 
Fredonia,  vessels  destroyed  by  the  earthquake 
wave  at  Arica;  nearly  three  hundred  in  all. 
Among  them  was  my  classmate,  George  T.  Davis. 
He  asked  me  to  visit  his  home,  in  Greenfield, 
Massachusetts,  on  the  way  to  my  own  in  Mont- 
pelier.  I  was  very  easily  persuaded  to  do  so,  as 
I  had  a  strong  desire  to  see  what  changes  five 

196 


AN  ASIATIC  CRUISE  197 

years  had  made  in  the  features  or  the  expression  of 
his  youngest  sister  Louisa,  who  when  I  had  last 
seen  her  was  a  young  girl.  The  visit  resulted  in 
our  engagement,  and  we  were  married  on  April  8, 
1869.  The  Greenfield  paper,  in  announcing  the 
event,  gave  me  a  higher  rank  than  I  have  ever 
attained  since,  referring  to  me  as  Charles  E. 
Clark,  Lieutenant  Commanding  the  United  States 
Navy.  The  usual  announcement  about  presents 
"  numerous  and  valuable "  was  not  quoted.  I 
should  add  that  our  marriage  followed  orders 
suddenly  received  by  me  to  a  ship,  and  that 
Mary,  the  next  older  daughter,  wife  of  Senator 
Conness  and  mother  of  Lady  Rich,  had  married 
one  week  earlier.  Louisa  Russell  Davis,  mother 
of  Mrs.  Clark  and  Mrs.  Conness,  was  born  at 
34  Beacon  St.,  now  the  ofBce  of  the  publishers  of 
this  book. 

We  have  two  daughters,  Mary  Louise,  married 
to  Captain  S.  S.  Robison,  U.S.N. ,  and  Caroline 
Russell,  married  to  Captain  C.  F.  Hughes,  U.S.N. , 
and  one  granddaughter,  Louisa  Russell  Hughes.^ 

1  Captain  S.  S.  Robison  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Manila  Bay 
and  now  commands  the  battleship  South  Carolina. 

Captain  C.  F.  Hughes  now  commands  the  battleship  New  York. 
He   was   Chief  of  Staff  of  the  battleship  fleet  with  Rear  Admiral 


198      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

In  September,  1870,  I  became  navigator  of  the 
monitor  Dictator  —  the  Richard  Murphy  as  the 
sailors  used  to  call  her.  She  was  then  the  largest 
of  our  ironclads,  and  also  the  most  heavily  ar- 
mored, but  through  some  mistake  in  her  con- 
struction she  had  only  one  turret,  and  her  battery 
consequently  was  only  half  that  of  the  Monadnock, 
Her  overhang  was  nowhere  less  than  four  feet 
wide,  and  because  of  her  great  length,  she  woujd, 
when  pitching  in  a  heavy  sea,  strike  this  pro- 
jecting part  with  such  force  that  it  seemed  as 
if  the  next  shock  must  inevitably  tear  her  open, 
and  founder  her.  Many  of  her  crew  never  went 
below  in  rough  weather,  saying  they  did  not 
propose  to  be  caught  like  rats  in  a  trap,  without 
even  the  chance  for  a  swim.  I  remember  a 
pilot  who  joined  us  at  Tybee  Roads,  just  below 
Savannah,  who  spent  the  greater  part  of  two 
days  and  nights  on  the  sloping  awning  above  the 
turret,  and  vowed  if  he  were  ever  fortunate 
enough  to  get  on  shore  again,  he  meant  to  stay 
there. 

Charles  J.  Badger,  when  that  oflScer,  under  orders  to  Tampico;  pro- 
ceeded to  Vera  Cruz  instead,  arriving  a  few  hours  after  the  fighting 
began,  landing  reenforcements,  and  being  in  responsible  command 
from  that  time  on  and  when  our  heaviest  losses  were  incurred. 


Roar  Admiral  Clark  and  Granddaiigliter^  Louisa  Russell 
Huglies 


AN  ASIATIC  CRUISE  199 

On  our  way  south  from  Hampton  Roads, 
during  what  was  generally  known  in  the  service 
as  the  first  Cubic  War,  we  encountered  a  gale 
while  in  the  Gulf  Stream  and  our  wheel  ropes 
parted.  The  space  between  deck  and  boilers 
was  less  than  two  feet,  and  as  it  was  therefore 
impossible  for  men  to  repair  the  damage  to  the 
ropes  with  steam  up,  we  were  obliged  to  haul 
fires.  So  for  hours  we  lay  in  the  trough  of  a 
heavy  sea,  which  swept  our  decks,  submerging 
everything  but  the  turret  and  the  light  deck 
extending  from  it  to  the  smoke-stack.  The  tugs 
which  were  with  us  as  consorts,  the  Standish  and 
Triana,  were  absolutely  useless.  The  first  lost 
her  rudder,  and  the  engines  of  the  second  broke 
down.  We  saw  nothing  of  the  Standish  during 
all  that  troubled  night,  and  the  one  glimpse  we 
had  of  the  Triana  we  would  have  been  very  glad 
to  forego.  She  came  drifting  down  upon  us  out 
of  the  darkness,  and  for  a  moment  it  looked  as  if 
she  were  going  to  get  caught  under  our  overhang, 
which  would  have  been  fatal  to  us  both,  but 
luckily  we  had  enough  steam  at  the  time  to  go 
ahead,  and  she  just  cleared  us  astern.  When 
morning  dawned,  neither  tug  was  visible,  so  we 


200      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE   NAVY 

made  for  the  Savannah  River.  We  heard  after- 
wards that  they  fortunately  met,  and  effecting  a 
combination  like  the  blinti  man  and  the  cripple, 
one  towing  and  the  other  steering,  they  got  into 
Charleston  Harbor. 

Our  captain,  Edmund  R.  Calhoun,  had  had 
much  experience  with  ironclads.  He  had  served 
in  monitors  off  Charleston  during  all  the  engage- 
ments there,  and  was  in  command  of  the  Wehaw- 
ken,  when  having  grounded  at  night,  she  was 
exposed  the  next  day  to  a  cross  fire  from  Sumter 
and  Moultrie.  One  of  our  young  officers,  who 
was  conspicuous  for  his  coolness  and  courage  in 
all  the  emergencies  of  this  trying  cruise,  was 
Wilson  McGunnigle,  a  brother  of  the  Lieutenant 
McGunnigle  I  reported  to  on  board  the  Constitution 
when  I  entered  the  service.  It  was  a  loss  to  the 
navy  when  he  resigned  later  to  go  into  the  banking 
business.^ 

Before  ending  this  cruise,  we  went  to  Port 
au  Prince,  Hayti,  in  company  with  the  flagship 
Severn    and    the    Saugus.     Santo    Domingo    was 

^  He  was  one  of  the  guests  invited  by  the  Navy  Department  to  take 
passage  on  the  Oregon,  when  it  was  proposed  to  have  her  lead  the  in- 
ternational fleets  at  the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal. 


AN  ASIATIC   CRUISE  201 

then  considering  annexation  to  the  United  States, 
and  as  there  was  some  idea  that  Hayti  might 
wish  to  interfere,  we  were  sent  there  to  bully 
her  into  keeping  her  hands  off. 

From  Port  au  Prince,  we  went  to  Samana 
Bay,  Santo  Domingo,  where  the  sentiment  of 
the  party  in  power  seemed  strongly  in  favor  of 
annexation.  I  remember  that  the  mulatto  pilot 
who  tried  to  induce  our  captain  to  let  him  take 
the  ship  into  port  was  an  enthusiastic  partisan. 
He  had  voted  several  times  already,  he  told  us, 
and  meant  to  vote  again  when  he  got  ashore, 
and  when  we  inquired  about  the  proportion  of 
those  who  were  against  the  measure,  he  assured 
us  that  they  were  not  allowed  to  vote  at  all. 
If  there  were  truth  in  his  account  of  affairs,  it 
must  be  concluded  that  the  eventual  decision 
against  annexing  Santo  Domingo  must  have 
come  from  the  United  States. 

All  during  our  stay  the  authorities  showed  a 
great  desire  to  ingratiate  themselves  with  us. 
Captain  Bunce  of  the  Nantasket  had  a  rather 
startling  proof  of  this.  He  had  sent  a  complaint 
to  Governor  Baez,  whose'  brother  was  then 
president  of  Santo  Domingo,  about  the  insolence 


202      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

of  one  of  the  native  boatmen.  The  governor 
promptly  replied  that  he  had  identified  the  man, 
and  had  despatched  him  under  guard  to  his 
brother,  the  president,  with  the  request  that  he 
be  shot  at  once.  Bunce  was  obliged  to  send  a 
horseman  posthaste  to  prevent  this  too  obliging 
evidence  of  national  good  will. 

My  first  shore  duty  was  at  the  Naval  Academy, 
Annapolis.  I  was  there  from  1870  to  1873  as 
an  instructor  and  assistant  to  the  commandant 
of  midshipmen.  I  made  one  practice  cruise  on 
the  Saratoga  in  company  with  the  Constellation. 
On  board  the  Saratoga  was  a  boatswain's  mate 
by  the  name  of  Brady,  who  will  doubtless  be 
remembered  by  others  beside  myself  because  of 
his  absolute  devotion  to  one  of  the  officers.  For 
this  young  man  he  desired  all  things  good  in  the 
official  line  and  was  jealous  of  any  distinction 
conferred  on  others.  One  Sunday,  while  the  ship 
was  in  port,  a  letter  from  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  was  read  at  general  quarters,  highly  com- 
mending the  gallantry  of  an  officer  who  had 
saved  the  life  of  a  man  who  had  fallen  overboard. 
That  evening  Brady  rolled  aft,  and  sidling  up  to 
his  idol,  who  was  pacing  the  deck,  began  a  long 


AN  ASL\TIC   CRUISE  203 

dissertation  on  what  a  fine  thing  it  was  for  a 
young  officer  to  have  "one  of  them  'condemna- 
tory' letters  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
sir." 

"Of  course  it's  a  fine  thing,"  agreed  the  officer, 
rather  puzzled  to  know  what  the  old  man  could 
be  driving  at,  "but  if  you  have  any  reference 
to  me,  Brady,  I  can't  quite  see  how  one  is  coming 
my  way." 

"Why,  I'll  tell  you,  sir,"  said  Brady,  sinking 
his  voice  to  a  hoarse  confidential  whisper. 
"To-morrow  I  gets  leave  and  comes  back  along- 
side, just  after  pipe-down,  when  you  has  the 
deck.  As  I  steps  for  the  gangway,  I  misses  my 
footing  and  overboard  I  goes.  And  you  in  after 
me,"  he  ended  triumphantly. 

"That's  a  wonderful  plan,  Brady,"  said  the 
young  officer,  smiling,  "but  you  see  it  has  one 
fatal  drawback.     I  don't  know  how  to  swim." 

"Lord,  sir  !  that  don't  make  no  difference. 
Don't  you  be  afeard  to  jump.  I"ll  hold  you 
up  till  the  boat  comes." 

After  my  three  years  at  the  Academy  I  was 
ordered  as  executive  to  another  monitor,  the 
Mahopac,    lying    at    Norfolk.     They    were    rush 


204     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

orders,  for  war  was  again  threatened  with  Spain 
on  account  of  the  Virginius  affair,  and  all  was 
hurry  and  hustle.  I  reached  New  York  City  in 
a  driving  snowstorm,  too  late  to  catch  any  night 
train  south,  and  crossed  over  to  Jersey  City  to 
be  sure  of  the  first  train  in  the  morning.  It  was 
a  case  of  "much  haste,  less  speed."  The  hotel 
clerk  with  whom  I  left  word  to  be  called  chose 
that  occasion  to  indulge  in  a  fit,  and  I  slumbered 
peacefully  on  through  part  of  the  next  day.  The 
hotel  clerk's  fit  reminds  me  of  a  telegram  that 
was  sent  by  an  officer  to  his  wife,  when  his  ship 
arrived  at  Hampton  Roads  after  a  European 
cruise.  He  had  picked  up  many  English  expres- 
sions while  abroad,  and  his  telegram,  when  it 
reached  the  Httle  resort  in  the  Adirondacks 
where  she  was  spending  the  summer,  was  worded 
"Arrived  Hampton  Roads  ten  a.m.  Friday. 
Am  fit."  Of  course  the  country  operator  knew 
that  the  last  sentence  must  be  incorrect,  and 
when  it  came  to  the  lady's  hands  it  read,  "Ar- 
rived Hampton  Roads  ten  a.m.  Had  a  fit." 
She  very  nearly  had  one  herself,  and  her  hus- 
band's unfortunate  phrase  cost  him  something 
in  explanatory  telegrams. 


AN  ASIATIC   CRUISE  205 

The  Mahopac  got  off  the  day  after  her  oflficers 
reported,  some  workmen  from  the  navy  yard 
going  in  her  as  far  as  Hampton  Roads  and  work- 
ing to  the  last  minute  to  stop  the  leaks  which 
would  have  been  fatal  to  a  vessel  of  her  class. 
Of  course,  in  the  general  rush  it  had  not  been 
possible  to  make  arrangements  for  anything  like 
ordinary  comfort  in  our  living  conditions.  All 
stores  had  been  tumbled  aboard  in  the  greatest 
haste  and  without  any  regard  to  order,  and  the 
four  negroes  shipped  as  wardroom  boys  must 
have  been  taken  right  out  of  the  corn  fields. 
They  were  quite  hopeless  as  far  as  proper  service 
was  concerned,  but  we  did  contrive  to  get  a  little 
amusement  out  of  them.  Lieutenant  Joseph 
Jones,  a  volunteer  officer,  much  older  than  the 
rest  of  us,  stage-managed  the  entertainment. 
A  pitcher,  with  features  painted  on  its  smooth 
surface  and  a  sheet  dangling  limply  from  its 
neck,  hanging  by  its  handle  in  a  darkened  state- 
room, made  a  *' ghost"  weird  enough  to  inspire 
terror  in  the  breasts  of  Salt,  Mustard,  Vinegar, 
and  Pepper,  as  Jones  had  named  our  outfit  in 
the  order  of  their  complexions.  The  knowledge 
that  the  "ghost"  was  the  creation  of  Jones  never 


206      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

seemed  to  help  them  at  all.  A  boy  told  to  go 
and  get  something  from  a  certain  room,  would 
approach  its  curtain  with  eyes  bulging,  and  the 
muttered  protest,  "I'se  powerful  skeered,  sah, 
Missah  Jones  done  been  in  dah,"  while  his  mates 
waited  in  a  sort  of  fearful  ecstacy  for  the  moment 
when  he  would  burst  through  the  door,  with  his 
wool  standing  on  end. 

One  day  Salt,  the  pantry  boy,  was  so  absorbed 
in  watching  the  mental  struggles  of  Pepper,  who 
had  been  told  to  fetch  something  from  the  doc- 
tor's room,  that  he  ventured  too  far  from  his 
own  base,  and  Jones,  slipping  by  him,  set  up  a 
ghost  to  face  him  on  his  return.  The  wild  yell 
and  crash  that  meant  the  loss  of  a  good  part  of 
our  crockery  told  us  that  the  flank  movement 
had  been  only  too  successful. 

On  our  arrival  at  Key  West,  we  found  nearly 
everything  we  possessed  in  the  way  of  a  navy 
assembled  there,  the  European  and  South  Atlantic 
fleets  having  been  recalled.  Our  all  was  not  much 
at  that  date,  but  the  Spaniards  were  no  better 
off  than  we,  so  I  imagine  a  fight  would  have  seen 
us  on  the  winning  side.  Nearly  all  our  ships 
were  fitted  with  spar  torpedoes,  and  these  were 


AN  ASIATIC  CRUISE  207 

expected  to  inflict  great  damage  on  the  enemy, 
always  providing  he  would  stay  quiet  until  we 
got  alongside,  and  that  we  were  not  "hoist  first" 
through  the  spar  breaking,  or  the  guys  carrying 
away. 

But  of  course  our  chief  concern  was  target 
practice,  and  a  board  of  three  ofiicers  was  created 
to  superintend  it.  They  decided  that  six  hundred 
yards  was  the  proper  distance  to  begin  with,  but 
our  captain,  O'Kane,  agreed  with  me  that  this 
would  bring  the  target  absurdly  close.  He  told 
me  to  set  ours  at  two  thousand  yards,  and  he 
would  go  aboard  the  flagship  and  take  up  the 
matter  with  the  authorities.  He  had  scarcely 
pulled  away  when  the  three  officers  composing 
the  board  arrived.  They  made  themselves  quite 
disagreeable  over  our  failure  to  adopt  the  dis- 
tance they  had  suggested,  and  I  had  to  send  out  a 
boat  to  bring  the  target  in  to  the  six-hundred- 
yard  line.  Executives  of  monitors  in  those  days 
often  fired  the  guns  themselves,  and  I  was  gener- 
ally regarded  as  a  good  shot.  Allowing  for  the 
vessel  to  sheer  a  little,  I  pointed  ahead,  waited 
for  the  contact,  and  fired,  hoping  my  luck  would 
stand  by  me.     I  knew  it  had  when  I  saw  the  men 


MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

crowding  their  heads  into  the  port  as  the  gun 
recoiled.  "There  ain't  any  target,  sir!"  cried 
one,  as  I  stepped  outside  and  was  greeted  by 
the  long  faces  of  the  board. 

I  put  on  an  injured  look  and  said  regretfully, 
"Well,  you  see  how  it  is.  We  can  only  get  one 
shot  a  day,  and  our  material  for  targets  will 
have  to  be  increased." 

Indeed,  the  little  tent-shaped  target  was  abso- 
lutely obliterated,  its  center  stick  having  been 
struck  at  the  base,  and  the  Board,  which  had 
been  eloquent  about  getting  the  admiral's  ear 
and  O'Kane's  scalp,  made  a  silent  and  solemn 
departure. 

The  war  flurry  over,  and  the  fleet  dispersed, 
I  went  home  for  a  short  leave,  at  the  end  of  which 
I  received  orders  to  the  Asiatic  station.  As  I 
was  to  go  out  by  steamer  from  San  Francisco, 
my  wife  and  our  two  little  girls,  then  nearly  five 
and  three  years  of  age,  were  able  to  accompany 
me. 

An  overland  trip  took  longer  then  than  it 
does  now,  but  we  were  prepared  for  that  and  did 
not  find  it  tedious.  I  remember  there  was  a 
little  ripple  of  excitement  at  one  of  the  stations 


AN  ASL\TIC   CRUISE  209 

on  the  plains  where  the  east  and  west  bound  trains 
met,  when  some  one  pointed  out  Rochefort,  the 
titled  French  Radical,  among  the  passengers  on 
the  platform.  He  had  just  made  his  escape 
from  the  penal  colony  of  New  Caledonia,  and 
having  landed  in  San  Francisco,  was  on  his  way 
east. 

We  became  much  interested  in  two  of  our 
fellow  passengers,  a  Mr.  Power  and  his  cousin, 
Mr.  Codd.  They  were  Irishmen  and  were  mak- 
ing a  world  tour  for  the  sake  of  Mr.  Power's 
health.  He  had  recently  lost  his  seat  in  the 
House  of  Commons  and  was  nervously  used  up 
and  depressed.  His  cousin  was  supposed  to 
supply  the  good  spirits  for  the  party,  and  as  he 
had  a  lively  fancy,  I  am  sure  that  at  times  he 
managed  to  make  Mr.  Power  forget  his  other 
troubles.  Whenever  the  train  stopped  long  at 
a  station,  it  was  Mr.  Codd's  habit  to  march  up 
and  down  its  platform  with  my  children,  having 
first  effected  a  change  of  hats  with  one  of  them. 
His  solemn  air  as  he  paraded  along,  the  blue 
ribbons  of  his  absurd  headgear  hanging  over  one 
eye,  and  a  radiant  youngster  clinging  to  each 
hand,    delighted    the    crowd    and    horrified    Mr. 


210     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Power,  but  his  protests  were  only  answered  by, 
**  We're  from  Dublin,  after  all,  my  dear  fellow. 
Not  quite  English,  you  know." 

When  we  reached  San  Francisco  and  were 
confronted  at  the  ferry  by  the  long  line  of  hack- 
men  with  their  dangling  whips,  Mr.  Codd  ex- 
claimed, "They  all  know  my  name,  by  Jove! 
See  how  they're  fishing  for  me ! " 

He  and  Mr.  Power  engaged  one  of  these  dis- 
cerning fellows  for  the  next  afternoon  and  took 
us  all  for  a  drive  out  to  the  Cliff  House  and  Seal 
Rocks.  Besides  being  pleasant  in  itself,  this 
excursion  was  actually  the  means  of  putting  money 
in  my  pocket,  or  perhaps  I  should  say  keeping  it 
there.  We  chanced  to  meet  the  agent  for  the 
Pacific  Mail  Company  that  afternoon,  and  after 
watching  my  little  girls  who,  dressed  in  sailor 
suits,  were  playing  on  the  beach,  he  remarked 
that  it  would  be  a  shame  to  charge  those  young 
mariners  for  their  trip  to  China,  and  the  Com- 
pany would  consider  it  sufficient  if  I  bought 
tickets  for  Mrs.  Clark  and  myself. 

The  good  ship  Colorado  took  us  through  to 
Yokohama  in  twenty- three  days.  She  was  a 
side-wheeler  with  a  single  engine,  and  had  opened 


AN  ASIATIC  CRUISE  211 

the  line  to  China  and  Japan  when  I  was  in  San 
Francisco  eight  years  before.  During  the  whole 
trip  of  five  thousand  miles  we  encountered  neither 
gale  nor  sail. 

I  reported  to  Admiral  Pennock  in  Yokohama, 
where  he  was  flying  his  flag  on  the  Hartford, 
whose  cabin  I  entered  for  the  first  time  since  my 
memorable  interview  with  Farragut.  Pennock 
was  a  connection  of  Farragut 's,  by  the  way. 
He  assigned  me  to  the  Yantic  as  executive.  She 
was  then  lying  at  Shanghai,  so  I  continued  my 
trip  on  the  Colorado,  my  wife  and  children  dis- 
embarking at  Nagasaki,  to  remain  for  the  rest 
of  the  summer. 

Soon  after  I  had  joined  the  Yantic,  we  were 
sent  to  Amoy,  where  we  arrested  General  Legendre, 
who  without  authority  from  the  United  States 
had  accepted  the  position  of  military  adviser  to 
the  Japanese  in  their  first  expedition  to  Formosa. 
He  had  been  a  general  in  our  army,  and  had  come 
out  of  the  Civil  War  with  little  remaining  of  his 
natural  self,  for  in  addition  to  a  glass  eye  and 
wooden  leg,  he  had  a  wig  and  false  teeth.  It  was 
said  that  he  once  tried  to  make  an  impression 
on  the  natives  of  Formosa  by  reducing  himself 


212      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

to  his  lowest  terms  in  their  presence,  but  no  inter- 
est was  shown  until  he  removed  his  glass  eye, 
when  the  assembly  suddenly  waked  up,  and 
expressed  —  through  an  interpreter  —  a  desire 
to  see  him  take  out  the  other  one. 

It  was  while  we  were  at  Amoy  that  our  captain 
received  some  cabled  instructions  from"  Admiral 
Pennock,  ending  with  the  words,  "Clark's  family 
all  right."  Of  course  I  knew  that  there  must  be 
some  reason  for  this  statement  of  what  seemed 
to  me  an  obvious  fact,  and  a  few  hours  later, 
when  we  heard  that  Nagasaki  had  been  swept  by 
the  most  terrific  typhoon  that  had  been  remem- 
bered in  years,  I  was  grateful  indeed  for  the  ad- 
miral's though tfulness.  The  destruction  had  been 
almost  unprecedented,  and  among  the  houses 
blown  down  was  the  one  standing  next  the  hotel 
where  my  family  was  staying. 

After  seven  months  in  the  Y antic  I  was  ordered 
to  the  Hartford  as  executive,  and  when  she  sailed 
for  home,  to  the  Kearsarge.  The  Kearsarge  was 
then  the  largest  ship  left  on  the  station,  so  when 
I  offered  to  exchange  with  Craven,  who  was  my 
senior,  and  who  was  attached  to  the  Monocacy, 
I  suppose  I  got  credit  for  magnanimity  to  which 


bt) 


5 


AN  ASIATIC  CRUISE  213 

I  was  not  entitled.  I  did  not  feel  bound  to  confess 
that  the  change  appealed  to  me,  because  I  felt 
sure  the  Monocacy  would  soon  go  to  Shanghai 
for  extensive  repairs.  The  rest  of  my  cruise 
was  spent  on  this  ship,  which  was  so  long  identi- 
fied with  the  Asiatic  Station  that  when  she  was 
sold,  only  a  few  years  ago,  it  must  have  seemed 
to  the  old  seamen  who  had  shipped  on  her,  over 
and  over  again,  as  if  it  were  their  home  that  was 
being  broken  up.  She  had  the  light  draft  neces- 
sary for  river  work,  and  the  Chinese,  with  refer- 
ence to  her  paddle  wheels,  used  to  call  her  "two 
side  walkee."  When  I  joined  her.  Captain  Joseph 
Fyffe  was  in  command.  This  officer  claimed 
descent  from  "the  first  families  of  America", 
or  in  other  words,  the  noble  red  man.  He  was 
inordinately  proud  of  his  ancestry,  and  any  sug- 
gestion on  the  part  of  an  Englishman  or  Scotch- 
man that  he  might  be  connected  with  the  ducal 
family  of  Fife  was  always  warmly  resented. 
"Belong  to  that  Flute  family  !"  he  would  exclaim. 
"No,  sir!  I  spell  my  name  F-y-f-f-e,  and  come 
of  a  race  whose  ancestors  were  out  for  scalps, 
when  those  Scotchmen  were  stealing  sheep  from 
over  the  border !" 


'2U     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Though  indined  to  take  himself  and  his  family 
affairs  rather  seriously  as  a  rule,  he  would  often 
amuse  us  with  accounts  of  his  father-in-law,  who 
was  no  other  than  Moody,  the  fighting  parson  of 
the  Ohio  Valley.  Fyffe  used  to  speak  with 
enthusiasm  of  the  fashion  in  which  Mr.  Moody 
conducted  his  meetings,  jumping  sometimes  from 
his  improvised  pulpit  —  a  plank  resting  on  two 
barrels  —  to  beat  the  heads  of  a  couple  of  rowdies 
into  a  pulp,  then  hopping  back  like  a  rooster  to 
his  perch  to  lead  the  singing.  When  these  energies 
were  turned  on  the  little  country  place  his  son- 
in-law  was  trying  to  beautify,  however,  they  did 
not  seem  so  admirable.  There  was  quite  a  degree 
of  pathos  mixed  with  the  humor  with  which  the 
captain  told  how  a  lawn  on  which  he  had  expended 
both  time  and  love  had  been  ploughed  and  turned 
into  a  hayfield  by  the  forcible  old  gentleman,  and 
the  young  shade  trees  he  had  grouped  with  such 
care,  uprooted  and  planted  in  straight  rows. 

"The  old  cuss  would  walk  up  to  one  of  them," 
said  he,  "put  his  arm  around  it  as  an  elephant 
would  his  trunk,  yank  it  out,  and  march  off  with 
it.  Things  got  to  such  a  pass  that  one  day  I  just 
sailed  out  of  my  gate  and  shouted,  'Brown  County, 


AN  ASIATIC   CRUISE  215 

ahoy!  What  will  you  give  me  for  the  whole 
blamed  outfit !  Farm,  fertilizers,  father-in-law, 
and  all!'" 

I  never  had  occasion  to  regret  my  move  to 
the  Monocacy,  for  the  duty  in  connection  with 
her  was  thoroughly  agreeable.  We  were  in 
Shanghai  for  lengthy  periods,  did  quite  a  bit  of 
cruising  about  Japan,  including  some  delightful 
weeks  in  the  wonderful  Inland  Sea,  and  made 
one  trip  north  to  Tientsin,  where  luckily  we  did 
not  tarry  long. 

The  hospitality  in  the  Orient  at  that  time  was 
princely.  Had  Mrs.  Clark  and  I  been  willing, 
we  could  have  made  our  three  years  on  the  station 
one  long  visit  from  house  to  house.  In  fact  we 
did  once  spend  three  months  in  Shanghai  at  the 
home  of  our  Consul  General,  Mr.  George  F. 
Seward,  a  nephew  of  the  great  statesman  of  the 
same  name.  At  this  time  he  had  just  received 
his  appointment  as  Minister  to  China,  and  as  he 
was  consequently  obliged  to  pass  a  part  of  the 
winter  in  Peking,  he  urged  us  to  stay  on  with 
Mrs.  Seward,  knowing  that  she  and  Mrs.  Clark 
were  devoted  friends.  Another  Shanghai  home 
that  became  familiar  to  us  was  that  of  Mr.  and 


216      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Mrs.  Harrison.  He  was  the  manager  of  the 
Oriental  Bank,  then  the  largest  banking  concern 
in  the  Far  East.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the 
hospitable  spirit  that  pervaded  this  home,  it 
would  have  seemed  a  little  too  much  like  living 
in  a  palace,  marble  halls  and  all.  The  rooms 
were  so  stately  that  furniture  had  to  be  made 
especially  with  reference  to  them,  and  I  remember 
the  beds  in  the  suite  of  rooms  we  occupied  were 
so  colossal  that  a  family  of  giants  could  have 
slept  in  them  very  comfortably.  Those  were  the 
days  of  long-drawn-out  dinners,  a  regiment  of 
wine  glasses  standing  by  each  plate,  and  your 
own  Chinese  "boy"  behind  your  chair,  to  see 
that  you  were  served  exactly  as  you  would  have 
been  at  home.  I  believe  these  customs  are  things 
of  the  past.  In  China,  as  elsewhere,  it  has  ceased 
to  be  good  form  to  play  with  food  and  wine  through 
an  entire  evening,  and  though  many  in  the  Orient 
still  put  everything  except  their  souls  in  the  keep- 
ing of  their  "boys",  they  no  longer  consider  it 
necessary  to  be  served  by  them  in  a  friend's  house. 
There  is  a  general  impression  that  the  China- 
man is  a  soulless  machine  in  his  relations  with 
other  races,   dependable  and   even  honorable  in 


AN  ASIATIC   CRUISE  217 

business  matters,  but  with  no  sentiment  towards 
his  employer,  however  well  he  may  have  been 
treated.^  And  yet  you  will  come  across  an  excep- 
tion occasionally,  as  in  the  case  of  the  comprador, 
Ah  Tee,  in  Hong  Kong.  During  our  stay  in  that 
port,  I  made  a  point  of  having  my  little  girls  meet 
this  old  Chinaman,  with  the  hope  that  they 
would  remember  him  as  one  who  had  been  a 
friend  to  their  country  at  a  time  when  she  needed 
friends.  It  was  touching  to  see  the  old  man's 
pleasure  in  the  recollection  of  his  services,  which 
can  perhaps  be  best  described  by  the  insertion 
here  of  a  few  verses,  purporting  to  be  written  by 
a  poor  relation  of  Truthful  James. 

AH  TEE 

By  "Truthful  Jack" 

My  story  begins  in  the  year  sixty -four. 
Which  was  durin'  the  time  of  our  late  Civil  War. 
(And  just  by  the  way,  which  ter  me  its  a  mys'try 
That  ain't  never  been  cleared  by  my  knowledge 
of  hist'ry, 

1  It  should  be  recalled  that  during  the  Boxer  war  there  were 
Chinese  converts  who  braved  injuries  and  even  death  in  defense  of 
their  foreign  friends. 


218     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

When  people  are  fightin'  themselves  like  the  devil, 
Why  in  'nation  should  sech  goin's-on  be  tarmed 

civil  ?) 
Well,  this  ain't  my  tale,  but  its  reely  surprisin' 
How  durned  easy  it  is  to  start  in  moralizin'. 


'Twas  our  ship  Saginaw,  ter  meander  along. 
In  her  v'ygin'  around  had  brung  up  at  Hong  Kong, 
A  city  in  which  if  the  heathen  gits  skittish 
They're  put  down  mighty  quick  by  the  red-coated 

British, 
Who,  if  given  to  land-grabbin',  yet  I've  hearn  tell 
When  they  once  git  a  country,  kin  govern  it  well. 
And  to  whatever  part  of  this  wide  earth  they  go. 
They  will  make  that  same  portion,  "quite  Eng- 
lish,   you   know." 

Now  the  Saginaw's  crew,  Cap'n  McD.  commandin', 

Was  powerful  glad  in  a  port  to  be  landin'. 

For  pervisions  were  low,  and  their  grog  it  was 

slacker. 
And  they  hadn't  no  coal,  and  still  less  of  terbacker. 
But  when  Cap'n  McD.  hurried  quick  to  the  shore. 
For  to  buy  out  the  town,  and  a  leetle  bit  more, 


AN  ASIATIC  CRUISE  219 

He  found  —  and  to  him  'twas  a  long  ways  from 

funny,  — 
He  couldn't  git  no  one  to  look  at  his  money. 

The  slim  little  bank  clerks  remarked  with  a  grin. 
It  was  yet  on  the  cards  that  the  Rebels  might  win. 
When  the  captain  to  this  swore  blank,  blank,  and 

dash,  dash, 
They  replied,  "That  may  be,  but  we  can't  risk  our 

cash." 
At  the  chandler's  and  grocer's  he  couldn't   git 

trusted. 
For  they  "feared",  which  meant  "hoped",  that 

the  North  might  go  busted. 
And  poor  Cap'n  McD.  was  reduced  to  despair. 
For  his  crew  warn't  the  kind  as  could  hold  out  on 

air; 
He  was  tired  of  being  rebuffed  an'  rejected, 
When  he  run  across  help,  in  a  way  unexpected. 

'Twas  a  little  old  shop,  in  a  dirty  side  street, 
And  the  odors  about,  —  well,   the  same  wasn't 

sweet. 
But  within,  grouped  about  in  keg,  bottle  and  can. 
Was  all  that  could  comfort  the  in'nards  of  man. 


220     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

In  letters  promiskus,  swung  over  the  door. 
The  name  of  Ah  Tee,  U.  S.  Ship's  Comprador, 
An'  Cap'n  McD.,  with  a  very  deep  sigh, 
Thought  before  givin'  up,  he  would  make  one  last 
try. 

At  the  first  look  around  at  walls,  counter  and  shelf, 
You'd  have  said  that  the  shop  was  a-keepin'  itself. 
But  there  presently  came  from  the  dark  at  the  rear, 
A  voice,  which  remarked  in  a  gibberish  queer, 
"Ah!  you,  Melican  man,  my  long  time  no  have 

see ! 
All  Melican  off'cer  he  savy  Ah  Tee !" 
And  a  little  old  heathen,  his  hair  in  a  queue, 
And  a  welcomin'  smile  on  his  lips,  stepped  in  view. 

Thinks  McD.   to  himself,  —  "When  I  come  to 

show  down 
My  paper,  that  smile  will  be  changed  to  a  frown." 
But  Ah  Tee  looked  at  things  in  a  different  way, 
"Long  time  Melican  sailor,  he  plenty  good  pay, 
"He  my  velly  good  fliend,  all  time  speakee  me  tlue ; 
"S'pose    this    time    losee    money,    maskee,^    my 

can  do." 

1  Maskee  =  Never  mind,  no  matter. 


AN  ASIATIC  CRUISE  221 

This  trust  from  a  heathen,  the  captain  unmanned. 
Somethin'  swelled  in  his  throat,  and  he  put  out 
his  hand. 

And  that  warn't  all  neither,  for  when  he'd  supplied 
The  wants  of  the  ship,  and  her  crew  satisfied, 
The  day  they  weighed  anchor  to  sail  for  Shanghai, 
Ah  Tee  paddled  off  for  to  tell  'em  good-bye. 
Six  big  strappin'  coolies  in  line  followed  him, 
And  each  carried  a  bag  filled  with  "plunks"  to 

the  brim, 
Which  they  dropped  on  the  deck  at  Ah  Tee's 

invitation. 
While  the  old  man  proceeded  to  make  an  oration. 

Which  the  substance  was  this,  —  In  all  ports  they 

would  find 
As  to  money  the  "Blitish"  of  much  the  same  mind. 
Banks  and  stores  in  Shanghai,  "allee  same"  as 

Hong  Kong ; 
So  he'd   brought    "littee   cumsha"  ^   to  help'em 

along. 
The  speech  rather  sudden-like  came  to  an  end 
With   this    explanation,    "You   b'long   my   good 

fliend." 

^  Cumsha  =  a  present. 


222      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

And  the  very  last  sound,  as  the  ship  put  to  sea, 
Was  the  sailor-men  shoutin',  "Three  cheers  for 
Ah  Tee!" 

Which  is  why  I  remark  that  our  virtues  and  sins 
Don't  always  match  up  with  the  shade  of  our  skins. 
And  the  somethin'  that  preachers  tarm  speeritchul 

grace 
Ain't  confined  to  the  people  that  own  a  white 

face. 
And  if  ever  it  happens  that  you,  sir,  and  I 
Should  enter  them  mansions  they  talks  of,  on  high. 
Where  the  crooked  comes  straight,  and  the  wrong 

is  made  right. 
We'll  find  that  old  Chinaman's  record  is  white.^ 

M.  L.  R. 

1  This  was  not  the  only  occasion  on  which  Ah  Tee  lent  a  helping  hand 
to  the  Saginaw  and  her  commanding  officer.  Oddly  enough,  this 
vessel  happened  to  be  in  Hong  Kong  some  time  later,  when  it  was  felt 
that  war  might  break  out  between  the  United  States  and  England  on 
account  of  the  Trent  difficulty.  The  Saginaw,  which  had  been  laid 
up  at  that  time,  and  her  crew  —  reduced  to  two  or  three  men  —  would 
have  been  an  easy  prize  for  the  English,  and  McDougal,  who  had  been 
left  in  charge,  determined  to  remove  her  to  the  Portuguese  port  of 
Macao,  if  he  could  manage  it.  His  first  step  was  to  send  for  Ah 
Tee  and  explain  the  situation  to  him.  Ah  Tee  came  oflF  at  nightfall 
with  fifty  coolies,  and  great  was  the  astonishment  of  the  English 
officers  who  had  been  joking  McDougal  about  the  amount  of  prize 
money  that  might  come  to  them  from  the  capture  of  his  vessel,  to 
see  this  ship,  without  a  crew  as  they  supposed,  get  under  way  and 
steam  out  of  the  harbor. 


AN  ASIATIC   CRUISE  223 

When  we  made  our  trip  through  the  Inland  Sea, 
Captain  Fyffe,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  our 
Minister  to  Japan,  Mr.  Bingham  —  they  both 
came  from  the  state  of  Ohio  —  invited  him  to  go 
with  us.  The  presidential  contest  was  on  at 
home,  and  Mr.  Bingham  was  exceedingly  anxious 
to  learn  whom  the  Republicans  had  nominated  for 
President  and  Vice  President.  He  began  to  get 
positively  feverish  about  this  at  the  time  we  were 
visiting  the  island  of  Miajima,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  spots  in  the  Inland  Sea.  Its  picturesque 
temples,  its  torii  running  out  into  the  clear  water, 
and  the  graceful,  spotted  deer  wandering  about 
its  village  streets  were  all  indifferent  to  Mr. 
Bingham.  Nothing  would  do  but  we  must  run 
across  to  some  small  settlement,  where  it  was 
reported  that  a  telegraph  station  had  been  estab- 
lished. After  a  long  struggle  with  the  native 
operator,  a  telegram  was  despatched,  and  the 
answer  awaited  with  suspense.  Finally  the  instru- 
ment commenced  to  tick,  and  the  operator  handed 
over  a  slip  with  the  names  "Crawford  and  Mul- 
cahy"  inscribed  on  it.  Mr.  Bingham  was  reduced 
to  despair.  "That  ends  it ! "  he  said  despondently. 
"If  the  party  is  that  scared  it  doesn't  dare  tun 


224      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

anybody  that  was  ever  heard  of  before,  even  in  a 
state  legislature,  we're  defeated  at  the  start." 

He  had  no  heart  for  scenery  after  that,  and  we 
made  for  the  port  of  Kobe,  where  we  learned  that 
the  Republican  nominees  were  Hayes  and  Wheeler, 
and  that  Crawford  and  Mulcahy  were  the  foremen 
of  a  railway  construction  gang,  working  on  the 
line  between  Kobe  and  Osaka. 

It  was  during  our  cruise  among  these  islands  that 
I  overheard  the  captain  administering  comfort  in 
his  own  peculiar  fashion  to  a  party  of  Japanese 
who  were  visiting  the  ship.  They  were  worried 
because  some  American  missionaries  had  settled 
in  their  little  community,  and  Christianity  was 
on  the  increase.  "Don't  worry  about  the  Chris- 
tians," said  Fyffe  consolingly.  "We've  always 
had  them  at  home,  and  we  don't  trouble." 

"But  do  you  have  so  many.^^"  was  the  anxious 
inquiry. 

"Do  we?"  exclaimed  Fyffe,  "Why,  we're 
simply  overrun  with  them ! "  and  the  delegation 
departed,   seemingly  reassured. 

At  the  end  of  our  pleasant  summer  in  Japan, 
we  received  orders  to  proceed  to  Tientsin  on  the 
Pei  Ho  River.     It  was  then,  as  it  is  now,  the  near- 


AN  ASIATIC   CRUISE  225 

est  port  to  Peking  that  could  be  reached  by  men- 
of-war,  and  the  English,  French,  Russians,  and 
Americans  were  each  supposed  to  keep  a  vessel 
there.  We  expected  to  remain  for  the  winter,  for 
the  Pei  Ho  freezes  over  when  cold  weather  begins. 
We  had  been  lying  at  our  anchorage  off  Tien- 
tsin only  a  short  time,  when  the  captain  concluded 
to  change  his  position  and  drop  a  little  further 
down  river.  I  suggested  that  instead  of  getting 
up  steam,  he  let  me  try  to  "club"  her  down. 
In  "clubbing",  one  allows  the  anchor  to  drift 
along,  just  touching  bottom,  veering  chain  when 
it  is  necessary  to  bring  the  ship  up.  Our  journey 
down-stream  was  brief,  but  full  of  incident.  Our 
first  move  fouled  the  anchor  of  the  English  gun- 
boat Growler  ;  and  we  had  scarcely  got  clear  of  her, 
when  we  became  entangled  with  the  cable  of  the 
French  ship,  the  Surprise,  and  succeeded  in  pulling 
out  her  bitts  and  part  of  her  rail.  Of  course  there 
was  a  lively  commotion  on  board,  but  our  captain 
immediately  became  so  vociferous  about  "club- 
bing" in  general,  and  what  he  meant  to  do  to  me 
in  particular,  that  the  French  commander's  indig- 
nation for  his  ship  almost  disappeared  in  his  con- 
cern for  "ce  pauvre  M.  Clark." 


MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Ice  had  just  begun  to  form  in  the  river  when  we 
got  word  that  Mr.  Avery,  our  Minister,  had  died 
in  Peking,  and  Captain  Fyffe  at  once  decided  that 
it  was  his  duty  to  take  the  body  on  board  the 
Monocacy  and  leave  for  Shanghai.  He  offered  his 
cabin  to  Mrs.  Avery,  and  as  he  felt  she  would 
need  companionship,  he  proposed  that  my  wife 
and  children  should  share  his  quarters  with  her, 
while  I  turned  over  my  stateroom  to  him.  I  will 
merely  remark  here  that  Mrs.  Clark  certainly 
earned  her  passage.  Mrs.  Avery  was  in  a  terrible 
state,  and  one  of  her  worst  obsessions  was  the 
idea  that  her  husband's  body  might  be  washed 
overboard  at  any  time.  Captain  Fyffe  thought 
it  might  soothe  her  if  she  imagined  that  a  guard 
was  always  kept  beside  the  remains,  so  whenever 
she  was  heard  coming  up  the  ladder  for  a  walk  on 
deck,  the  nearest  sailor  had  orders  to  seize  a 
cutlass  and  march  up  and  down  beside  the  flag- 
covered  coJSSn.  One  morning,  Mrs.  Clark,  who 
had  appeared  a  little  in  advance  of  Mrs.  Avery, 
noticing  the  sailor  on  guard  had  a  frank  pleasant 
face,  asked  me  who  he  was.  I  looked,  and  seeing 
that  he  was  the  paymaster's  assistant  answered 
that  he  was  the  "Jack  of  the  Dust." 


AN  ASIATIC  CRUISE  227 

"WTiat!"  she  exclaimed,  and  I  instantly  saw 
what  she  must  have  thought. 

"Why,  yes,"  said  I,  "don't  you  see?  He's  a 
sailor;  that's  Jack,  and  he's  watching  over  the 
remains  —  the  dust.  I  think  it's  a  very  appro- 
priate title." 

"What  nonsense!"  and  she  marched  off  with 
her  head  in  the  air  to  the  officer-of-the-deck. 

"Mr.  Nabor,"  I  heard  her  inquire,  "tell  me, 
who  is  that  sailor  by  Mr.  Avery's  coffin?" 

"That  fellow?"  said  Nabor,  turning  to  look, 
"why,  his  name  is  Jones,  I  believe." 

"  No,  no  !     I  mean  what's  his  billet  on  the  ship  ?  " 

"Oh !  he's  Jack  of  the  Dust." 

This  was  confounding.  She  questioned  an- 
other officer,  who  had  just  come  up  from  below, 
and  having  received  the  same  answer,  could  only 
conclude  there  was  a  conspiracy  against  her.  In 
fact,  I  do  not  know  of  any  good  explanation  of  the 
name  of  this  rating  for  the  paymaster's  assistant. 

Whether  or  not  Captain  Fyffe's  move  to  Shang- 
hai was  approved  by  the  authorities,  there  was  at 
any  rate  no  chance  of  getting  up  the  Pei  Ho  again 
that  winter,  so  the  long  anticipated  repairs  at  the 
Tunkadoo   Docks   began.     During    this   stay  in 


228      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE   NAVY 

Shanghai,  the  first  railroad  laid  in  China  was  com- 
pleted, and  through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Seward, 
Mrs.  Clark  and  I  were  among  the  favored  few  to 
ride  in  the  train  that  inaugurated  its  opening. 
It  was  built  to  connect  Shanghai  with  Woosung, 
at  the  junction  of  the  Shanghai  River  and  the 
Yangtse,  but  the  Chinese,  with  their  usual  dislike 
for  innovations,  soon  pulled  up  its  rails,  and  some 
years  passed  before  another  was  constructed. 

One  objection  to  a  long  stay  in  port  is  that  it  is 
apt  to  be  demoralizing  to  the  crew  of  a  man-of-war. 
It  is  hard  to  find  enough  employment  to  keep 
them  busy  and  contented,  and  an  executive  officer 
is  constantly  on  the  watch  for  any  disturbing 
element  on  board.  We  had  this  in  the  shape  of 
an  Irish  coal  passer  named  Gannon.  While  not 
actually  bad,  he  was  idle  and  worthless,  much 
fonder  of  haranguing  the  other  men  than  of  doing 
his  own  work.  I  imagine  that  some  of  his  dis- 
courses were  meant  to  be  incendiary,  but  he  used 
to  get  so  tangled  up  in  long  words  that  not  only 
were  his  hearers  thoroughly  puzzled  at  times,  but 
I  think  he  was  often  quite  at  sea  himself  as  to  his 
real  meaning. 

So,  one  day  when  Gannon  overstayed  his  liberty. 


AN  ASIATIC   CRUISE  229 

I  was  not  displeased,  but  feeling  I  must  comply 
with  the  government  regulation  that  a  reward 
of  not  more  than  ten  dollars  must  be  offered  for  the 
return  of  a  deserter,  I  sent  a  notice  to  the  Shanghai 
police  force  that  I  would  pay  all  of  two  cents  for 
the  apprehension  of  Gannon.  This  brought  about 
his  instant  return,  unattended.  I  refused  to 
recognize  him  as  Gannon,  however,  unless  he  came 
under  police  escort,  and  being  obliged  to  concede 
this  point,  he  stood  on  the  dock  and  tried  to  make 
me  admit  that  this  man  Gannon  of  whom  we  were 
talking  was  really  worth  more  than  two  cents. 
When  he  found  I  was  quite  steadfast  in  my  idea 
of  values,  he  asked  permission  to  come  aboard  and 
get  Gannon's  pay  and  belongings,  and  with  these 
under  his  arm,  turned  to  make  his  final  farewell. 
"Good-by,  me  old  shipmates!"  said  he,  with  a 
wave  of  his  hand  to  such  of  the  crew  as  were  visible. 
"God  bless  you  all !  God  bless  you,  Captain,  and 
you,  sir,"  to  the  officer-of-the-deck.  Then  his  eye 
falling  on  me,  where  I  was  standing  a  little  to  one 
side,  he  added  reproachfully.  *'And  God  bless 
you  too,  Mr.  Clark,  to  a  sartin  extint."  ^ 

1  This  incident  was  written  up  for  Harper's  Magazine  shortly  after 
my  return  from  China,  but  as  since  then  it  has  been  told  me  by  two 


230      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

When  our  repairs  were  completed,  we  made  a 
trip  up  the  Yangtse  River.  Our  first  stop  was 
where  the  Grand  Canal  and  the  river  unite,  and 
our  second  at  the  city  of  Nanking,  which  we  left 
the  next  afternoon,  steaming  about  twenty -five 
miles  above  it  before  we  anchored  for  the  night. 
The  captain  was  anxious  to  make  a  very  early 
start  in  the  morning,  as  he  wished  to  reach  Poyang 
Lake  before  dark.  He  had  not  been  feeling  very 
well  that  day,  and  told  me  that  he  should  expect 
me  to  get  the  ship  under  way.  I  had  heard  it 
said  that  vessels  had  swung  to  the  flood  as  far  up 
as  Nanking,  but  we  were  two  hundred  miles  from 
the  sea,  and  the  thought  that  the  tide  could 
affect  us  occurred  neither  to  me  nor  to  our  pilot, 
Mr.  Jousberry. 

At  the  first  faint  sign  of  daylight  we  hove  short, 
and  as  soon  as  Jousberry  thought  he  could  dis- 
tinguish the  banks  of  the  river  and  keep  the 
channel,  we  got  under  way.  As  the  sun  rose,  I 
went  up  on  the  paddle  box  to  have  a  look  around, 
and  one  of  the  first  things  I  noticed  were  the  walls 
of    quite    a    sizable    city    some    distance    ahead. 

other  officers  as  having  happened  to  them,  I  think  the  time  has  come 
to  prove  ownership  once  more,  and  I  repeat  it  here. 


AN  ASIATIC   CRUISE  231 

"Jousberry!"  I  called,  *Svhat  city  is  this  we're 
coming  to  on  the  north  bank  ?  " 

"You  must  be  mistaken,"  he  answered. 
"There's  no  city  along  here." 

"Well,  there  certainly  is  one,"  I  insisted,  "and 
to  me  it  looks  very  much  like  Nanking." 

"Impossible,"  said  he,  and  then  following  the 
direction  of  my  finger,  gasped,  "Great  Scott! 
It  is  Nanking,  and  we're  going  down  river !  We 
must  have  swung !" 

I  asked,  "Is  there  any  place  near  here,  wide 
enough  for  us  to  turn,  without  stopping  and  back- 
ing .^^  The  captain  would  be  sure  to  notice  if  we 
had  to  back.  He'd  think  we'd  struck  a  snag  and 
would  be  up  on  deck  in  a  minute." 

Jousberry  knew  of  a  good  place  just  below,  and 
by  taking  the  chief  engineer  Absalom  Kirby  into 
our  confidence,  we  got  her  swung  about  and  pointed 
up-stream.  I  then  seated  myself  on  the  cabin 
hatchway,  ready  to  head  off  the  captain,  should  he 
decide  to  turn  out.  Pretty  soon  I  heard  him  stir- 
ring, and  unfortunately,  Nanking  was  still  in  sight. 
I  used  every  art  I  could  muster  to  keep  his  atten- 
tion on  me  and  away  from  the  scenery.  I  even 
urged  him  to  tell  his  favorite  yarn,  which  I  had 


232      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE   NAVY 

heard  so  often  I  could  have  repeated  it  word  for 
word,  and  when  all  else  failed,  I  brought  up  the 
subject  of  the  farm  and  his  father-in-law.  At  last 
the  obnoxious  city  had  sunk  out  of  sight  astern, 
and  when  the  captain  made  another  start  for  the 
hurricane  deck,  I  did  not  try  to  detain  him.  He 
soon  began  to  notice  remarkable  resemblances  to 
places  we  had  passed  the  day  before,  and  then  he 
got  out  the  chart,  and  made  Jousberry's  life 
wretched  by  demanding  explanations.  Jousberry 
only  told  the  truth  once  that  day,  and  that  was  a 
fatal  mistake,  for  it  led  him  into  a  perfect  bog  of 
conflicting  statements.  Of  course  we  did  not 
reach  Poyang  Lake,  for  we  had  nearly  sixty  lost 
miles  to  make  up.  As  we  were  passing  its  entrance 
the  next  day,  I  approached  the  captain  with  the 
chart  under  my  arm,  but  he  declined  to  look  at  it. 
"Take  it  away!"  he  grumbled.  "It's  a  delusion 
and  a  snare.  I  won't  believe  a  thing  about  this 
river  hereafter  except  what  Jousberry  tells  me ! " 
We  had  expected  when  we  left  Shanghai  that 
the  limit  of  our  trip  would  be  reached  when  we 
anchored  off  the  triple  cities  of  Hankow,  Woochang, 
and  Hanyan,  so  it  was  an  agreeable  surprise  when 
we  got  orders  to  proceed  to  Ichang,  nearly  four 


AN  ASIATIC   CRUISE  233 

hundred  miles  farther  on,  and  to  estabHsh  a  con- 
sulate there.  China  had  just  been  forced  by 
England  to  open  Ichang  as  a  port,  and  as  we  under 
the  *' favored  nation  clause"  had  equal  privileges, 
our  instructions  were  to  get  there  as  rapidly  as 
possible.  The  English  gunboat  Kestrel  also  lying 
off  the  three  cities  had  similar  orders. 

Our  race  up  the  Yangtse  lasted  several  days,  for 
as  the  navigation  was  largely  guesswork,  the  lead- 
ing ship  was  likely  at  any  time  to  mark  the  posi- 
tion of  a  shoal  or  mud  flat  by  piling  up  on  it,  where- 
upon her  rival  instead  of  assistance  would  give 
her  three  cheers,  and  steam  on  until  she  in  her 
turn  became  a  warning  to  mariners.  A  delay 
of  many  hours,  just  as  we  were  nearing  our  goal, 
when  we  had  to  carry  out  our  heaviest  anchors 
before  the  ship  could  be  floated,  made  us  feel  that 
the  Kestrel  had  the  race  in  her  own  hands,  but  a 
little  later  we  passed  her  hard  and  fast  on  a  partic- 
ularly vicious  sand  bar,  and  so  we  reached  Ichang 
well  in  the  lead. 

While  there,  we  visited  the  remarkable  caves 
and  natural  bridges  in  the  vicinity.  The  former 
were  easily  accessible  from  the  towing  path  that 
borders  the  rapids  of  the  Yangtse,  which  them- 


234     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

selves  were  something  to  remember.  Of  course  in 
these  days  the  tourist  penetrates  everywhere,  but 
at  that  time  these  foaming  rapids  sweeping  through 
their  rocky  gorges  had  revealed  themselves  to 
few  foreign  eyes.  They  made  the  city  of  Ichang 
practically  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Yangtse 
River. 

The  summers  we  passed  in  Japan  were  the 
greatest  possible  contrast  to  our  life  in  China. 
There  were  practically  no  social  demands,  and 
we  had  ample  leisure  to  enjoy  the  natural  beauties 
of  the  country,  and  to  observe  the  customs  of  its 
attractive  people.  I  think  the  quality  that  made 
the  greatest  impression  on  us  was  their  absolute 
courtesy  under  every  condition.  The  kindly, 
gentle  manners  we  saw  everywhere  must  have 
been  more  than  skin  deep,  for  they  were  universal 
and  never  failing. 

We  sailed  from  Yokohama  for  home  on  the 
City  of  Peking,  then  a  new  steamer.  Her  speed 
would  not  compare  well  with  that  of  the  ocean 
greyhounds  of  the  present  day,  but  she  reduced 
the  Colorado's  time  of  twenty -three  days  in  cross- 
ing to  seventeen. 


CHAPTER   IX 

Off  Many  Coasts 

A  NAVAL  officer's  periods  of  shore  duty  are 
like  the  country  without  a  history,  the  happier 
for  having  Httle  to  record.  My  next  orders  for 
sea,  after  my  Asiatic  cruise,  came  in  August, 
1881.  They  instructed  me  to  proceed  to  Nor- 
folk, and  report  on  board  the  old  ship  of  the  line, 
New  Hampshire,  as  executive.  She  was  then 
fitting  out  for  the  training  service,  as  a  home 
ship  for  naval  apprentices,  and  was  to  join  the 
rest  of  the  training  squadron  at  Newport,  Rhode 
Island.  Her  captain,  Philip  Johnson,  had  not 
reported,  so  I  was  in  command  when  we  sailed. 
The  Powhatan  had  been  assigned  to  tow  us,  and 
this  was  the  beginning  of  a  very  fortunate  ac- 
quaintance for  me  with  her  captain,  John  G. 
Walker.  Although  I  had  never  met  him  before, 
his  record  was  well  known  to  me.  He  had  been 
with   Farragut    until    the   taking   of   Vicksburg, 

235 


236      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

then  with  Grant  in  the  batteries,  and  he  had 
completed  his  war  service  under  Porter  on  the 
Arkansas  River  and  in  the  North  Atlantic.  His 
administrative  ability  was  so  conspicuous  that 
railroad  managers  had  tried  to  induce  him  to 
resign  from  the  navy  and  enter  the  business  world. 
He  had  my  admiration  at  once,  and  the  constant 
friendship  he  showed  me  from  this  time  forth 
inspired  me  with  an  attachment  that  lasted 
throughout  his  life. 

From  our  start  at  Hampton  Roads,  all  went 
smoothly  until  the  evening  of  the  second  day, 
when,  in  a  dense  fog,  the  Powhatan  struck  on  what 
proved  to  be  the  south  shore  of  Block  Island. 
Our  momentum  carried  us  past  her,  our  hawser 
parting  as  we  went,  but  we  managed  to  let  go  our 
anchor  quickly  enough,  so  that  when  we  swung 
round  and  brought  up,  we  were  sufficiently  far 
from  the  beach  to  strike  it  only  occasionally, 
as  the  sea  lifted  and  then  dropped  the  ship. 

The  Powhatan  had  grounded  so  slightly  that 
it  was  but  a  matter  of  minutes  before  she  got 
off,  ran  a  line  to  us,  and  having  sent  off  men  to 
assist  our  small  crew  in  weighing  the  anchor  we 
had  let  go  so  hastily,  had  us  in  tow  and  was  steam- 


OFF  MANY  COASTS  237 

ing  out  to  sea  in  seventeen  minutes  from  the 
time  we  struck.  I  was  surprised  to  find  that 
Captain  Walker  was  inclined  to  make  much  of 
the  way  I  had  conducted  myself  during  our  mutual 
experience.  As  even  the  order  to  anchor  had 
come  from  him,  I  was  unable  to  see  that  I  had 
done  anything  except  to  follow  his  directions 
promptly  and  coolly,  but  if  he  chose  to  think 
differently,  I  was  pleased  enough  to  have  it  so, 
especially  when  other  officers  who  knew  that  he 
was  soon  to  be  made  Chief  of  Bureau  of  Navi- 
gation told  me  how  lucky  I  was  to  have  won  his 
good  opinion.  He  took  an  early  opportunity 
of  showing  his  friendship,  for  it  was  because  of 
his  expressed  desire  that  I  became  captain  of  the 
New  Hampshire  in  the  spring  following  my  pro- 
motion to  commander,  although  this  ship  had 
always  been  rated  as  a  captain's  command. 

When  she  joined  the  other  ships  at  Newport, 
our  training  squadron  had  just  been  reorganized, 
and  was  starting  with  a  great  flourish  of  trumpets. 
It  had  been  formerly  maintained  under  the  Bureau 
of  Equipment  and  Recruiting,  but  just  before 
this,  David  B.  Porter,  the  Admiral  of  the  Navy, 
had  been  placed  at  its  head,  with   Commodore 


238      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Luce  in  actual  command,  flying  his  flag  from  the 
New  Hampshire,  the  other  ships  in  the  squadron 
being  the  steam  frigate  Minnesota,  the  frigate 
Constitution,  the  sloops  Portsmouth  and  Saratoga, 
and  the  Jamestown,  then  on  her  way  from  the 
Pacific.  All  officers  in  the  squadron  were  to  re- 
ceive sea  pay,  and  their  service  to  count  as  sea 
duty.  Everything  was  in  magnificent  readiness, 
and  "Now,"  said  Lieutenant  Sumner  Paine,  com- 
monly known  as  "Toby"  to  his  many  friends  in 
the  service,  "the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  catch 
a  boy." 

We  discovered,  however,  that  one  other  element 
was  also  rather  necessary,  for  while  Porter  was 
in  control  of  the  system,  as  far  as  giving  orders 
was  concerned,  the  Bureau  of  Equipment  w^as 
still  responsible  for  the  expenditures,  and  as  it 
looked  with  an  unfavorable  eye  on  the  changes 
that  had  been  made,  we  soon  found  we  were  work- 
ing on  a  vacuum. 

The  situation  was  such  that,  Commodore  Luce 
having  gone  on  a  cruise  across  the  North  Atlantic 
with  the  Portsmouth  and  Saratoga,  I  felt  it  was 
up  to  me  to  have  an  interview  with  the  Admiral, 
who  was  spending  the  summer  at  Narragansett 


OFF  MANY  COASTS  239 

Pier.  At  first  he  was  inclined  to  simply  take  it 
out  in  cursing  the  adversaries,  but  as  this,  though 
soothing  to  us  both,  did  not  seem  to  bring  us 
anywhere,  he  calmed  down  and  finally  suggested 
that  I  put  down  all  the  facts  in  a  letter  to  him, 
and  he  would  go  to  work  on  them. 

Meantime  the  opposition  in  Washington  seemed 
to  be  spreading.  The  steam  launch  with  which 
we  made  our  regular  trips  to  and  from  Newport 
needed  repairs,  and  when  I  put  in  a  request  for 
them,  I  was  informed,  by  the  Bureau  of  Con- 
struction, that  we  did  not  need  a  launch  — 
pulling  boats  ought  to  suffice  for  us  —  and  the 
Tallapoosa  would  be  sent  to  take  the  launch  away. 
In  a  few  days  she  appeared,  but  as  she  was  a 
side-wheeler  and  had  no  appliances  for  hoisting 
so  heavy  a  boat  on  board,  she  was  compelled  to 
ask  our  help.  Richard  Derby,  the  New  Hamp- 
shire's executive,  got  spars  and  tackles  to  support 
the  main  yard,  and  soon  had  the  launch  suspended 
from  it,  ready  to  lower  on  the  Tallapoosa^ s  deck, 
when  she  should  come  alongside.  We  signalled 
that  all  was  in  order,  and  she  started  towards 
us.  She  came  with  such  headway  that  it  was 
evident  that  they  did  not  mean  to  back  the  en^ 


240      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

gines  till  the  last  moment,  and  I  felt  certain  pride 
in  my  classmate  Kellogg,  who  was  in  command, 
for  his  nerve  in  making  such  a  dashing  approach. 
Just  as  I  was  about  to  commend  him  to  some  of 
the  young  officers  standing  near,  as  an  example 
of  fine  seamanship,  he  and  his  executive  officer 
rushed  to  the  end  of  the  bridge  and  yelled  "We 
can't  stop!     We're  on  the  center!  " 

"I'm  sorry,"  I  called  back,  "but  I  can't  lassoo 
you!" 

Meanwhile  Derby  was  shouting  orders  to  let 
go  everything  in  the  way  of  a  brace  that  could 
be  let  go,  and  to  the  men  to  hurry  out  of  the 
rigging.  The  Tallapoosa  surged  alongside,  rip- 
ping out  spars,  carrying  away  gear,  and  swinging 
our  yards  about.  The  suspended  launch  struck 
the  rounding  surface  of  her  paddle  box,  slid  over 
it,  and  crashing  through  her  guard,  vanished  in 
five  fathoms  of  water.  The  Tallapoosa  went  on, 
headed  for  the  beach,  but  fortunately  her  engine 
decided  to  function  in  time  to  prevent  her  from 
going  ashore.  We  swept  for  the  unlucky  launch, 
and  by  night  had  secured  it.  The  next  morning 
we  towed  it  out  into  the  bay,  and  anchored  it 
for  the  Tallapoosa  to  pick  up.     This  time  she  ran 


OFF  MANY  COASTS  241 

over  it,  and  having  sunk  it  in  eleven  fathoms, 
felt  that  she  had  done  her  work  thoroughly  and 
departed.  The  last  I  saw  of  our  launch,  its 
battered  wreck  was  reposing  on  the  shores  of 
Coaster's   Island. 

A  few  days  after  this.  Captain  James  Gillis  of 
the  Minnesota  returned  from  a  visit  to  Washing- 
ton, and  announced  that  "my  letter"  had  started 
a  row  in  the  Navy  Department,  and  that  I  was 
going  to  "catch  it."  I  could  not  think  at  first 
what  he  meant,  for  I  was  not  aware  of  having 
written  anything  to  Washington  likely  to  create 
trouble,  but  then  a  suspicion  came  to  me  and  I 
started  posthaste  for  Narragansett  Pier. 

"Admiral,"  said  I,  "where  is  that  letter  I  wrote 
you?"  Looking  a  little  guilty,  he  admitted  he 
had  sent  it  on  to  the  Navy  Department.  It  was 
good,  he  said,  full  of  ginger,  and  just  what  they 
needed  for  their  complaint.  His  endorsement 
and  approbation  would  make  it  all  right.  "All 
right  for  you,  perhaps,  Admiral,"  I  conceded, 
"you,  who  are  at  the  head  of  the  Navy;  but  for 
me,  the  bottom  commander,  trouble  is  due,  and 
lots  of  it."  He  would  not  allow  of  this,  and  said 
he  would  stand  by  me  in  any  case. 


242     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

In  spite  of  these  assurances,  I  did  not  look 
forward  with  pleasure  to  the  impending  visit 
of  the  new  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  William  E. 
Chandler,  who  being  broad-minded  enough  to 
realize  that  a  question  is  apt  to  have  two  sides, 
had  resolved  to  come  to  Newport  to  look  over 
our  end  of  the  proposition.  He  came  in  the 
Tallapoosa,  accompanied  by  several  bureau  chiefs, 
and  when  I  went  off  to  pay  my  respects,  it  was 
with  a  good  deal  of  the  feeling  of  the  small  boy 
who  has  been  detected  in  some  "sassiness" 
towards  his  elders.  I  became  a  little  easier 
when  I  found  I  was  greeted  with  neither  threat- 
ening nor  reproachful  looks,  but  was  scarcely 
prepared  to  have  the  Secretary  come  up  to  me, 
where  I  was  standing  by  Kellogg's  side,  and  after 
saying  that  he  meant  to  visit  my  ship,  ask  me 
to  call  with  him  the  next  day  on  the  President, 
who  was  then  staying  with  Governor  Morgan 
in  Newport. 

Two  days  later  he  made  an  inspection  of  the 
New  Hampshire,  and  must  have  been  pleased 
with  what  he  saw,  for  he  told  me  he  wished  I 
would  call  again  on  the  President  and  invite 
him  aboard  the  ship.     When  I  gave  President 


OFF  MANY  COASTS  243 

Arthur  the  invitation,  he  seemed  a  little  doubtful 
whether  his  many  engagements  would  permit, 
but  after  consulting  his  secretary,  said  he  could 
come  for  a  limited  time. 

He  appeared  punctually  with  a  number  of 
friends,  among  them  the  Secretary  of  State, 
Frelinghuysen,  and  Governor  Morgan,  and  long 
after  the  hour  that  had  been  set  for  his  departure. 
Governor  Morgan  whispered  to  me  that  the  Pres- 
ident was  enjoying  himself  more  than  at  any 
time  since  he  came  to  Newport.  When  he  finally 
left,  after  a  visit  of  three  hours  which  had  been 
thoroughly  delightful  to  us  all,  those  who  had 
had  the  privilege  of  meeting  him  could  understand 
why  so  much  had  been  said  of  President  Arthur's 
social  qualities. 

After  this,  things  went  very  smoothly  for  the 
training  station,  but  I  think  Admiral  Porter  had 
in  the  meantime  rather  lost  interest.  There 
had  been  too  many  irritating  restrictions  that 
must  have  seemed  petty  to  a  man  who  had  com- 
manded, in  wartime,  the  largest  fleet  we  had  ever 
assembled.  Whatever  may  have  been  his  reasons, 
he  soon  after  gave  up  the  position.  Commodore 
Luce  had  begun  to  be  absorbed,  by  then,  in  his 


244      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE   NAVY 

pet  project,  the  Naval  War  College,  of  which  he 
is  sometimes  called  the  "Father  ",  and  the  officers 
who  had  been  put  on  shore  pay,  and  found  it 
difficult  to  support  their  families  in  Newport  and 
meet  expenses  on  board  ship  at  the  same  time, 
were  generally  anxious  to  be  ordered  to  other 
stations.  So  the  training  squadron,  which  had 
started  in  a  blaze  of  glory,  was  slowly  ffickering 
out.  Hearing  that  Captain  Matthews,  my  in- 
structor of  Academy  days,  was  looking  for  duty 
in  Newport,  I  asked  to  be  detached,  and  he  was 
ordered  to  the  ship  in  my  place. 

A  short  interval  of  shore  duty  and  leave,  and 
I  was  ordered  to  Washington  for  instructions 
connected  with  the  survey  of  the  North  Pacific, 
which  was  then  being  carried  on  by  the  Ranger, 
This  work  was  directly  under  the  supervision 
of  the  Bureau  of  Navigation,  of  which,  as  it  will 
be  remembered.  Commodore  Walker  had  been 
made  Chief.  John  W.  Philip,  afterwards  captain 
of  the  Texas  at  Santiago,  was  then  in  command 
of  the  Ranger,  and  I  was  sent  out  to  San  Fran- 
cisco to  relieve  him. 

The  Ranger  was  a  beautiful  bark-rigged  steamer, 
with  square  yards  to  royals,  and  was  pierced  for 


OFF   MANY   COASTS  U5 

ten  guns,  but  only  one  of  these  had  been  retained 
for  signalHng  purposes,  the  decks  being  kept  as 
clear  as  possible  for  sounding  machines  and  other 
appliances  for  surveying.  I  found  on  her  a  most 
efficient  staff  of  assistants,  lieutenants,  junior 
lieutenants,  and  ensigns.  These,  as  their  terms 
of  sea  duty  expired,  were  replaced  by  Commodore 
Walker,  who  often  consulted  me  in  making  his 
selections.  I  generally  recommended  that  young 
officers  should  be  sent,  telling  the  Commodore 
I  did  not  want  to  spend  my  time  pulling  kinks 
out  of  old  lieutenants  who  thought  they  knew, 
and  possibly  often  did  know,  better  methods 
than  those  I  proposed.  Besides,  youth  was 
needed  for  the  work  we  were  engaged  in,  which, 
although  most  interesting,  was  as  hard  as  it  could 
well  be.  Older  men  could  not  have  stood  the 
strain,  or  felt  the  enthusiasm  required  to 
carry  one  through  a  surveying  season  in  the 
tropics. 

Among  the  officers  who  served  with  me  on  board 
the  Ranger,  whose  ability  and  energy  accomplished 
so  much  in  astronomical,  triangulation,  and 
hydrographic  work,  or  who  acquired  a  high 
professional    reputation    in    after    years,    were : 


246     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

C.  T.  Force,  Robert  G.  Peck,  James  M.  Helm, 
Arthur  W.  Dodd,  James  P.  Parker,  James  H. 
Glennon,  William  R.  Rush,  George  H.  Strafford, 
Albert  A.  Ackerman,  Harry  Phelps,  Albert  S. 
Key,  William  B.  Whittlesey,  Ward  P.  Winchell, 
Manning  K.  Eyre  and  Emil  Theiss.^ 

The  hardships  to  which  these  young  men  were 
exposed  never  lessened  their  zeal.  They  were 
landed  in  detached  parties  in  unhealthy  localities ; 
often  left  in  open  boats  in  some  bay  or  river, 
while  the  ship  to  save  time  went  off  for  coal; 
obliged  to  climb  difficult  mountain  slopes  under 
the  burning  rays  of  a  tropical  sun ;  whatever  the 
task  demanded  of  them,  they  fulfilled  it  and  were 
eager  to  attack  the  next.  It  was  rather  remarkable 
under  these  circumstances  that  the  health  record 
on  board  the  Ranger  was  a  fine  one.     The  only 

1  Lieutenant  Peck,  who,  like  Force,  was  a  remarkable  observer  as 
well  as  navigator,  changed  our  methods  of  sounding  to  others  so  effec- 
tive, that  better  and  much  more  work  was  accomplished.  Ensign 
Phelps  prepared  a  table  by  which  the  angles  between  high  and  low 
points  were  at  once  reduced  to  the  horizontal,  and  thus  entered  in  the 
records.  Ensign  Ackerman  was  the  only  one  of  the  Ranger  s  officers 
who  happened  to  serve  with  me  on  the  Oregon.  He  had  command  of 
one  of  her  turrets  at  the  Battle  of  Santiago.  Ensign  Rush,  as  a 
captain,  gained  distinction  in  the  command  of  our  forces  during  the 
first  day's  fighting  at  Vera  Cruz.  Ensign  Glennon,  now  rear  admi- 
ral, and  member  of  the  commission  sent  to  Russia,  was  strikingly  in- 
strumental in  restoring  order  and  efficiency  in  the  Russian  navy. 


OFF  MANY  COASTS  247 

officer  to  break  down  was  Ensign  Glennon,  and 
that  was  after  some  particularly  arduous  triangu- 
lation  work  compelling  him  to  do  much  severe 
mountain  climbing,  ending  with  the  ascent  of 
Mount  Turubales.  He  had  typhoid  fever,  and  we 
were  obliged  to  send  him  north  by  steamer. 

Occasionally,  something  ridiculous  would  occur 
to  relieve  the  monotony  of  hard  work,  as  when 
two  of  our  officers  were  cutting  in  some  angles 
along  a  curving  line  of  beach.  One  of  them  was 
using  a  red  flag  to  signal,  and  the  other,  noticing 
that  this  banner  had  suddenly  stopped  waving, 
found  on  investigation  that  its  color  had  roused 
the  anger  of  a  sensitive  and  active  bull,  who  had 
chased  his  companion  out  into  the  surf,  where  he 
was  having  difficulty  in  determining  the  safety 
line  between  the  sharks,  which  were  swarming 
in  the  bay,  and  the  irate  animal,  pawing  sand 
and  bellowing  on  the  beach.  It  was  truly  a  case 
of  being  caught  between  the  devil  and  the  deep 
sea,  but  one  of  the  ship's  launches  solved  the 
vexed  question  by  making  an  opportune  appear- 
ance around  the  point,  and  rescuing  the  besieged. 

Our  working  ground  was  on  the  west  coasts 
of  Mexico  and  Central  America.     It  had  been 


248      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

surveyed  before  by  French  and  English  vessels 
under  De  Laplin  and  Sir  Edward  Belcher,  but  as 
that  was  in  the  days  when  only  sailing  ships  were 
available,  and  the  portions  of  coast  not  deemed 
important  to  traders  and  navigators  had  been  but 
hurriedly  examined,  their  work,  while  creditable, 
left  much  to  be  accomplished,  and  in  some  cases 
to  be  corrected. 

For  instance,  the  Gulf  of  Dulce,  which  is  sep- 
arated from  the  Gulf  of  Nicoya  by  a  stretch  of 
coast  backed  by  lofty  mountains  and  impenetrable 
forests,  figures  in  De  Laplin's  sailing  directions  as 
an  indentation  thirty-eight  miles  long  and  nearly 
twenty  wide,  while  on  another  chart  it  was 
represented  as  a  slight  curve  in  the  coast.  We 
found  its  upper  portion  land-locked  and  well 
sheltered,  but  any  navigator  expecting  to  find 
an  anchorage  there  would  be  sadly  disappointed, 
for  its  waters,  even  close  to  the  shore,  showed  a 
uniform  depth  of  six  hundred  feet. 

Cape  Elena,  which  marked  one  of  the  most 
exhausting  and  hazardous  efforts  of  the  triangu- 
lation  party,  under  Glennon  and  Winchell,  was 
so  far  misplaced  that  a  vessel  leaving  San  Juan 
del  Sur  would  have  had  to  steer  nearly  forty-five 


OFF   MANY   COASTS  249 

degrees  to  the  westward  of  the  indicated  course 
to  avoid  running  upon  it.  Indeed,  when  the 
Ranger  left  San  Juan  del  Sur  at  night,  we  found 
before  going  far  that  our  course  was  blocked  by 
mountains  ahead  and  on  both  bows. 

Cape  Elena  was  at  the  extremity  of  a  moun- 
tainous range  projecting  into  the  Pacific,  whose 
northern  face,  according  to  the  De  Laplin  and 
Belcher  charts,  shows  an  unbroken  and  precipitous 
coast.  We  found  there  a  magnificent  harbor,  easy 
of  access  and  perfectly  protected.  There  were  no 
signs  of  life  upon  its  beautiful  shores,  and  as  the 
mountains  were  densely  wooded,  with  tangled 
undergrowth,  and  as  coasting  vessels  or  fishing 
boats  rarely  venture  outside  the  heads  in  Central 
America,  this  harbor  was  probably  first  visited 
by  man  when  Ensign  Parker  steamed  between  its 
high  cliffs  in  one  of  our  launches.  The  next  day 
he  piloted  the  Ranger  in,  and  the  survey  was 
begun.  At  first  I  called  it  Port  Elena,  but  later, 
at  my  request,  and  because  of  this  officer's  merits, 
the  Department  changed  the  name  to  Port  Parker. 

While  running  lines  of  surroundings  off  Cape 
Colnett,  Lower  California,  we  had  a  chance  to 
observe  the  curious  way  in  which  air  currents 


250      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

will  sometimes  act.  We  had  two  parties  stationed 
for  triangulation  work  on  the  high  plateau  that 
terminates  the  cape.  They  noted  only  a  moderate 
northwest  breeze  blowing  across  it,  and  we  on 
the  ship  experienced  the  same,  when  some  dis- 
tance from  the  shore  and  to  windward,  but  the 
instant  we  got  under  what  should  have  been  the 
shelter  of  the  precipitous  cliffs,  the  wind  became 
so  violent  that  it  was  hard  to  keep  one's  footing 
on  deck.  It  evidently  accumulated  nearly  all 
its  force  while  sweeping  down  from  a  height  of 
less  than  six  hundred  feet,  and  expended  the  most 
of  it  on  the  spot  where  it  landed,  so  to  speak. 

It  was  just  a  little  north  of  Cape  Colnett  that 
the  Ranger  came  near  ending  her  career.  She 
barely  escaped  being  wrecked  on  a  lee  shore  during 
a  terrific  gale,  in  which,  despite  the  fact  that  we 
had  both  anchors  down  and  the  engines  working 
at  high  pressure,  she  still  continued  to  drag  towards 
the  beach.  We  could  not  understand  at  the  time 
why  we  were  not  able  to  obtain  greater  power 
from  the  engines,  but  discovered  afterwards  that 
there  was  an  opening  in  the  steam  chest  which 
was  allowing  the  high-pressure  cylinder  to  ex- 
haust upon  both  sides  of  the  low-pressure  piston 


OFF  MANY  COASTS  251 

at  once.  Just  as  her  stern  was  almost  in  the 
breakers,  there  came  a  fortunate  lull  in  the  fury 
of  the  wind,  and  by  raising  our  anchors,  one  by 
the  capstan,  and  the  other  by  a  deck  tackle,  we 
managed  to  steam  off  shore  far  enough,  so  that 
when  the  next  gust  threw  us  broadside  to  the 
beach  we  were  not  driven  on  to  it. 

This  reminds  me  of  another  time  when  luck 
was  with  us.  We  were  steaming  in  towards  the 
Central  American  shore  one  night,  in  a  dense 
fog,  and  Ensign  Rush  offered  to  station  himself 
as  lookout  on  the  flying  jib  boom,  a  suggestion 
which  I  gladly  adopted.  He  had  just  worked 
his  way  past  the  fore-royal  stay,  when  I  saw 
him  wave  his  arms  wildly,  and  heard  a  shout  of 
"Stop  her.  Captain!  Stop  her!  I  can  hear  a  baby 
crying!"  When  the  engine  was  stopped,  we  all 
could  hear  it.  We  found,  when  the  fog  lifted, 
that  we  had  been  heading  for  the  only  village 
in  many  a  mile  of  beach,  and  we  were  grateful 
to  that  baby  for  being  wakeful.  The  case  was 
so  exceptional,  however,  that  I  did  not  feel  it 
necessary  to  put  in  the  sailing  directions  for  the  Gulf 
of  Nicoya,  "  Stand  in,  until  the  baby  can  be  heard." 

The  Ranger  was  an  iron  ship,  and  I  found  I 


252      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

could  reduce  the  temperature  on  board  consider- 
ably, during  hours  of  sunlight,  by  giving  her  a 
coat  of  white  paint.  This  was  done  with  Com- 
modore Walker's  approval,  and  some  time  later, 
when  he  took  command  of  our  first  squadron 
of  modern  ships,  they  were  painted  white,  a  cus- 
tom that  was  followed  for  years.  The  story 
goes  that  when  he  was  relieved  as  Chief  of  Bureau, 
the  Secretary  said  to  him:  "Admiral,  as  you 
have  been  running  the  Navy  Department  for 
years,  suppose  you  take  the  Navy  for  a  while 
and  let  me  have  the  Department." 

Another  story  of  Walker  has  been  frequently 
told  and  yet  is  so  characteristic  of  him  that  I 
repeat  it  here.  A  young  officer,  intent  upon 
securing  a  coveted  billet,  hurried  into  the  office 
of  the  Chief  of  Bureau  and  finding  it  apparently 
vacant,  called  to  the  occupants  of  the  next  room, 
"  Where's  Walker  ?  I  want  to  see  Walker !  " 
"Here  I  am,"  came  the  unexpected  answer,  as 
the  Commodore's  head  rose  from  behind  a  desk. 
"What  can  I  do  for  you  ?  " 

"Oh,  Commodore!"  stammered  the  abashed 
youngster,  "I  wanted  —  that  is  —  I  didn't  mean 
—  excuse  me  —  I'll  call  again — " 


OFF  MANY  COASTS  253 

"No,  no!  don't  go  away!"  said  the  Com- 
modore urbanely.  "Come  back,  and  sit  down. 
Call  me  John!" 

When  my  cruise  on  the  Ranger  was  completed, 
I  had  some  years  of  shore  duty,  part  of  it  as 
Lighthouse  Inspector  on  the  Great  Lakes.  This 
duty  brought  me  into  contact  with  Colonel  — 
afterwards  General  —  William  Ludlow,  one  of 
the  finest  examples  of  a  soldier  it  has  ever  been 
my  fortune  to  meet.  His  heroic  conduct  in  the 
fierce  struggle  at  Alatoona  was  equalled  —  one 
might  say,  even  bettered  —  by  his  splendid 
work  as  an  engineer  at  Havana,  which  still  enjoys 
the  benefits  of  his  wise  regulations  and  the  sani- 
tary reforms  he  instituted.  It  was  his  brother, 
NicoU  Ludlow,  who  as  a  midshipman  had  been 
my  companion  in  London  and  Paris,  and  whom 
I  relieved  as  commander  of  the  Mohican,  when 
I  was  sent  to  sea  again.  During  the  month  of 
May,  1894,  while  still  on  the  commanders'  list, 
I  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  Behring  Sea  patrol 
fleet,  with  orders  to  enforce  the  terms  governing 
pelagic  sealing,  just  agreed  upon  by  the  arbitrators 
at  Paris. 

This  squadron,   one  of  the  largest  assembled 


254      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

since  the  Civil  War,  consisted  of  the  Mohican, 
Concord,  Yorhtown,  Adams,  Ranger,  Alert,  and 
Petrel,  men-of-war,  the  Fish  Commission  steamer 
Albatross  and  the  revenue  cutters  Corwin  and 
Bear.  Admiral  Ramsey  had  relieved  Admiral 
Walker  in  the  department,  but  my  former  room- 
mate at  the  Academy,  Francis  A.  Cook,  had  been 
made  Assistant  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Naviga- 
tion, so  my  interests  were  not  allowed  to  suffer. 
In  fact,  I  was  told  that  a  captain  who  applied  to 
Admiral  Ramsey  for  duty  on  the  Pacific  coast 
was  informed  that  being  above  me  on  the  list 
might  prove  an  obstacle  to  giving  him  such  a 
billet. 

During  the  greater  part  of  my  service  in  Beh- 
ring  Sea,  we  enjoyed  comparatively  good  weather' 
as  far  as  storms  were  concerned,  but  the  fogs 
were  often  so  dense  as  to  make  navigation  danger- 
ous. The  water  ran  deep,  right  up  to  the  edge 
of  the  rocky  cliffs,  so  we  were  seldom  able  to 
ascertain  our  position  by  soundings,  and  the 
currents  which  swept  past  the  steep  shores  of  the 
islands  and  through  the  narrow  passes  between 
them  made  the  laying  of  any  course  uncertain 
business.     The    year    before,    the    Petrel,    which 


OFF  MANY  COASTS  255 

had  been  lost  in  the  fog  to  the  south  of  the  island 
chain  for  days,  found  when  it  cleared  away  that 
she  was  close  to  Boguslav  volcano,  fifty  miles 
to  the  north  of  the  pass,  through  which  all  uncon- 
sciously she  had  been  driven  by  these  currents. 
Often  the  echo  of  the  steam  whistle  from  some 
precipice,  or  the  roar  of  the  surf  upon  a  rocky 
shore,  would  be  the  first  danger  signal  that  came 
to  us.  The  anxieties  attending  such  service 
were  so  great  that  two  captains  in  the  fleet  broke 
down  under  them,  obliging  me  to  detach  them 
and  order  other  oflacers  to  their  commands,  but 
Goodrich,  Folger,  Longnecker,  Emory,  and  Drake 
of  the  navy,  and  Healy  and  Munger  of  the  revenue 
service  met  every  requirement  and  performed 
every  duty  courageously  and  cheerfully.  The 
whole-hearted  way  in  which  they  carried  out  the 
orders  of  one  so  slightly  their  senior  in  rank 
was  of  course  highly  gratifying  to  me,  and  I  have 
always  retained  for  them  the  strongest  feeling  of 
attachment. 

Although  by  the  terms  agreed  on  by  the  Arbi- 
tration Commission,  pelagic  sealing  was  supposed 
tp  be  limited  in  time,  and  never  permitted  within 
sixty   miles  of  the  Pribylof  Islands,    where  the 


256     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

enormous  seal  rookeries  were  situated,  thousands 
of  female  seals  were  killed  and  in  consequence 
nearly  twenty -five  thousand  of  their  pups  died  of 
starvation  on  the  rookeries.  As  the  rich  quality  of 
the  seal's  milk  enables  the  young  to  survive  nine 
days,  according  to  experts,  after  abandonment  by 
the  mother,  one  can  realize  what  prolonged  suffer- 
ing was  entailed  by  this  practice.  It  seemed  to  me 
such  an  abominable  state  of  affairs  that  I  recom- 
mended that  the  seal  herd,  which  had  already 
been  reduced  from  millions  to  about  six  hundred 
thousand,  should  be  practically  destroyed,  or  at 
least  so  reduced  as  to  make  pelagic  sealing  un- 
profitable. As  I  looked  at  it,  our  Government 
could  not  afford  to  countenance  a  business  which, 
as  I  remarked  in  my  protest,  would  never  be 
tolerated  in  a  stock-raising  community.  When 
a  bill  based  on  this  suggestion  was  introduced 
by  Congressman  Dingley,  I  was  considerably 
astonished  at  hearing  it  proclaimed  by  some  as 
shocking  and  wantonly  cruel.  Whether  the  out- 
siders raising  this  outcry  were  touched  in  their 
sensibilities  or  their  pockets,  it  would  be  hard  to 
say,  but  as  far  as  cruelty  was  concerned,  one 
would  think  there  could  be  scarcely  a  question 


OFF  MANY  COASTS  257 

as  to  which  was  preferable,  quick  death  or  slow 
starvation.  However,  I  was  on  the  whole  more 
flattered  than  hurt  to  think  that  an  original  idea 
of  mine  had  made  such  a  stir. 

Speaking  of  prolonged  sufferings,  there  was  a 
rooster  on  board  the  Mohican  who  really  had  the 
sympathy  of  all  who  watched  his  struggles  to 
keep  up  regular  habits  during  his  first  summer  in 
Behring  Sea.  As  we  got  farther  north  and  the 
nights  became  shorter,  it  must  have  seemed  to 
him  as  if  he  had  hardly  tucked  his  head  under 
his  wing  before  jduty  called  him  to  salute  the  day 
again.  He  kept  valiantly  on,  but  by  the  time 
we  started  south,  he  was  badly  out  of  condition, 
and  the  sailors,  who  by  this  time  had  adopted  him 
as  a  pet,  said  that  the  next  season  he  gave  up  the 
contest,  and  went  to  roost  and  turned  out  by  the 
ship's  bells. 

I  continued  on  the  Pacific  coast  until  March, 
1898,  the  year  of  the  Spanish  War.  I  was  com- 
manding the  Monterey  at  San  Diego,  when  orders 
came  for  me  to  proceed  to  San  Francisco  and 
take  command  of  the  battleship  Oregon. 


CHAPTER  X 

The  Oregon's  Race 

"  Six  thousand  miles  ^ 
To  the  Indian  Isles 
And  the  Oregon  rushed  home, 
Her  wake  a  swirl 
Of  jade  and  pearl, 
Her  bow  a  bend  of  foam." 

Arthur  Guiterman,  New  York  Times. 

The  Oregon,  at  the  time  I  received  orders  to 
command  her,  was  one  of  the  most  up-to-date 
and  powerful  battleships  our  navy  possessed.  Her 
presence  on  the  east  coast  was  considered  so 
essential  that  the  government  felt  the  risks  of 
the  long  voyage,  till  then  untested  by  a  vessel  of 
her  class,  must  be  undertaken,  even  though  they 
included  a  possibility  of  meeting  with  the  enemy's 
fleet. 

In  starting  on  this  long  race  around  two  con- 
tinents, I  could  feel  I  was  fortunate  in  the  quali- 

^  From  the  Straits  of  Magellan. 
258 


THE   OREGON'S  RACE  259 

ties  of  both  ship  and  crew.  The  Union  Iron 
Works  of  San  Francisco,  which  constructed  the 
Oregon,  had  already  built  several  other  vessels 
for  our  service,  among  them  the  cruiser  Olympia, 
but  the  Oregon  was  their  first  battleship,  and  it 
had  been  their  pride  to  make  her  as  mechanically 
perfect  as  possible.  For  instance,  when  the  in- 
stallation of  her  condenser  tubes  had  been  almost 
completed,  it  was  learned  that  those  on  the 
Olympia,  which  were  of  the  same  type,  were  not 
giving  the  best  results.  The  managers  of  the 
Union  Iron  Works  at  once  requested  permission 
of  the  Navy  Department  to  grant  them  the 
time  to  change  the  tubes  at  their  own  expense, 
which  was  done  at  an  extra  cost  of  over  six  thou- 
sand dollars  to  the  firm.  So  it  may  well  be  said 
that  this  ship  was  "built  on  honor."  In  addition 
to  the  usual  proportion  of  trained  and  intelligent 
men-of-war's  men  and  a  fine  marine  guard  com- 
posing her  crew,  I  found  an  exceptionally  large 
number  of  young  men  drawn  from  all  classes  in 
the  States  of  Oregon,  Washington,  and  Cali- 
fornia by  the  prospect  of  war  service.  The 
fashion  in  which  these  young  fellows,  with  so 
little  experience  to  guide  them,  took  up  their  new 


260     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

duties  was  remarkable.  They  met  every  hard- 
ship of  the  voyage  cheerfully,  and  were  always 
alert  and  ready  for  any  sort  of  demand. 

As  to  the  Oregon's  officers,  I  found  them  such 
as  I  would  have  expected  upon  any  ship  in  our 
navy.  Through  experience  and  tradition  alike 
the  qualities  of  the  average  American  naval 
officer  can  safely  be  taken  for  granted.  One  can 
feel  as  Macaulay  did,  in  speaking  of  one  of  the 
heroes  of  an  older  serivce,  that  he  will  perform 
all  that  duty  demands  of  him  "with  the  skill 
and  spirit  worthy  of  his  noble  profession." 

The  forty-eight  hours  that  I  was  in  command 
before  we  sailed  from  San  Francisco  were  con- 
fused and  hurried.  Stores  were  being  rushed 
aboard,  coaling  going  on,  and  officers  reporting 
for  duty.  Whatever  I  might  feel  about  the 
general  character  of  my  officers  and  crew,  I  was 
personally  acquainted  with  very  few  among  them, 
and  I  can  well  remember  in  the  crowd  of  strange 
faces  surrounding  me  what  a  satisfaction  it  was 
to  come  across  an  old  orderly  who  had  been  with 
me  on  the  receiving  ship  Independence.  He  en- 
tered the  cabin  to  report  at  eight  o'clock  the  first 
night  I  was  on  board.     I  was  feeling  tired  and  a 


THE   OREGON'S  RACE  261 

little  oppressed  with  the  thought  of  the  long  and 
uncertain  voyage  before  me,  and  when  I  looked 
up  into  this  familiar  face  instead  of  the  strange 
one  I  had  expected  to  see,  it  meant  more  to  me 
than  could  easily  be  imagined. 

We  sailed  from  San  Francisco  ^  on  March  nine- 
teenth, and  our  run  from  there  to  Callao  was  un- 
eventful except  in  the  opportunities  it  gave  me 
to  become  acquainted  with  the  ship  and  her 
personnel.     As   we   approached   the  tropics,    life 


1  List  of  the  officers  of  the  Oregon : 

Captain C.  E.  Clark 

Lieutenant  Commander J.  K.  Cogswell 

Lieutenants    .     .     .    R.  F.  Nicholson,  W.  H.  Allen,  A.  A.  Ackerman 

Lieutenants  junior  grade E.  W.  Eberle 

Ensigns C.  L.  Hussey,  R.  Z.  Johnston 

Captain  of  Marines R.  Dickins 

Second  Lieutenant  of  Marines A.  R.  Davis 

Naval  Cadets H.  E.  Yarnell,  L.  M.  Overstreet, 

C.  R.  Miller,  A.  G.  MagiU,  C.  S.  Kempff 

Chief  Engineer R.  W.  Milligan 

P.  A.  Engineer        C.  N.  Offley 

Asst.  Engineers       J.  M.  Reeves,  F.  Lyon 

Engineer  Cadets H.  N.  Jenson,  W.  D.  Leahy 

Surgeon P.  A.  Lovering 

Assistant  Surgeon W.  B.  Grove 

Paymaster S.  R.  Colhoun 

Chaplain P.  J.  Mclntyre 

Paymaster's  Clerk J.  A.  Murphy 

Boatswain John  Costello 

Gunner A.  S.  Williams 

Carpenter M.  F.  Roberts 


262      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

between  decks  became  almost  intolerable,  for 
to  their  heat  was  added  that  generated  by  the 
ship's  boilers,  kept  at  a  full  head  of  steam.  When 
Chief  Engineer  Milligan  informed  me  that  he 
thought  we  should  never  allow  salt  water  to  enter 
the  boilers,  I  felt  it  was  asking  almost  too  much 
of  the  endurance  of  the  crew.  It  meant  not  only 
reducing  their  drinking  supply,  but  that  the 
quantity  served  out  would  often  be  so  warm  as 
to  be  quite  unpalatable.  When  I  explained  to 
the  men,  however,  that  salt  water  in  the  boilers 
meant  scale,  and  that  scale  would  reduce  our 
speed,  delay  us  in  getting  to  the  seat  of  war,  and 
might  impair  our  efficiency  in  battle,  the  dep- 
rivation was  borne  without  a  murmur.  The 
very  small  quantity  of  ice  that  was  made  on  board 
went  to  the  firemen  and  coal  passers,  and  how- 
ever much  the  rest  of  us  may  have  longed  for  a 
little  to  cool  the  lukewarm  drinking  water,  I  know 
that  it  was  not  only  willingly,  but  cheerfully 
given  up. 

Another  of  the  chief  engineer's  suggestions  was 
the  reservation  for  emergencies  of  a  part  of  the 
Cardiff  coal  taken  on  at  San  Francisco.  This 
arrangement  entailed  extra  work  for  the  men, 


THE  OREGON'S  RACE  26S 

and  that  of  a  most  exhausting  kind,  but  their 
desire  to  preserve  these  "dusky  diamonds"  was 
as  keen  as  if  they  had  been  real  jewels.  The  fact 
that  the  Oregon  never  stayed  or  slackened  in  her 
race,  and  was  able  to  lead  in  the  hour  of  battle, 
was  undoubtedly  due  to  this  oneness  of  feeling 
in  her  officers  and  crew.  Everything  must  be 
done  and  everything  borne  to  get  the  best  out  of 
the  ship. 

With  the  change  of  climate  as  we  neared  the 
Straits  of  Magellan,  came  also  change  of  weather, 
and  the  Oregon,  which  up  to  this  time  had  sailed 
comparatively  smooth  seas,  dipped  her  bows  deep 
in  foaming  surges.  Just  after  we  entered  the 
Straits,  a  violent  gale  struck  us.  The  thick, 
hurrying  scud  obscured  the  precipitous  rockbound 
shores,  and  with  night  coming  on,  it  seemed  in- 
advisable to  proceed;  yet  with  the  ship  driven 
before  the  gale  as  she  was  it  was  impossible 
to  obtain  correct  soundings,  and  making  a  safe 
anchorage  must  therefore  be  largely  a  matter  of 
chance.  I  decided  to  anchor,  however,  as  the 
lesser  risk.  We  let  go  one  anchor,  and  the  chain 
ran  out  furiously  for  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  fathoms  before  it  could  be  checked. 


264      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE   NAVY 

At  last  it  caught,  and  then  the  other  anchor  was 
let  go.  They  held  us  through  the  night,  though 
the  gale  continued  to  rage.  At  early  daylight  we 
prepared  to  get  under  way,  and  then  discovered 
that  our  first  anchor  had  been  dropped  in  fifty 
fathoms,  or  three  hundred  feet  of  water.  That 
forenoon  a  heavy  snowstorm  chased  us  through 
the  narrowest  reaches  of  the  Straits,  which  in 
some  places  are  scarcely  more  than  a  mile  in  width. 
With  sheer  cliffs  on  either  hand  and  fathomless 
depths  below,  there  could  be  no  pause  or  hesita- 
tion in  this  exciting  race,  and  I  think  there  was 
no  man  on  board  that  did  not  feel  the  thrill  of  it. 
Later  in  the  day  it  cleared,  and  the  sun's  rays, 
striking  brilliance  and  rainbow  lights  from  the 
masses  of  ice  and  snow,  turned  the  grim  landscape 
into  a  scene  beautiful  to  remember.  In  the  after- 
noon we  passed  the  wrecks  of  two  steamers  that 
had  left  their  bones  to  mark  the  perils  of  the 
passage,  and  towards  evening  we  sighted  Cape 
Froward,  the  extreme  southern  point  of  the  con- 
tinent. In  the  night  we  came  to  anchor  off  Sandy 
Point. 

The  last  time  I  had   seen   Sandy  Point   was 
thirty-two    years    before,    when    I    had    passed 


THE   OREGON'S  RACE  265 

through  the  Straits  in  the  consort  of  the  Monad- 
nock,  our  first  ironclad  to  round  the  American 
continent.  Now,  on  board  the  second  of  our 
armored  ships  to  attempt  the  passage,  I  was 
hurrying  in  the  opposite  direction,  this  time  to 
strengthen  our  arms  on  the  Atlantic  coast. 

I  went  ashore  the  next  morning  in  order  to  make 
arrangements  about  coal  and  was  surprised  to 
find  Sandy  Point,  which  I  remembered  as  a  mere 
handful  of  scattered  houses,  so  changed.  Its 
population  had  grown  to  about  four  thousand 
souls,  and  I  walked  along  streets  where  formerly 
there  had  been  only  footpaths.  There  were  paths 
now,  but  one  had  to  go  to  the  edge  of  the  town  to 
find  them.  I  followed  one  out  into  the  open 
country,  where  in  the  old  days  it  was  dangerous 
to  venture.  Now,  instead  of  the  w^ild  Patagonians 
armed  with  their  bolas  and  attended  by  their 
savage  wolfish  dogs,  who  used  to  infest  it,  I  saw 
flocks  of  peacefully  grazing  sheep,  guarded  by 
Scotch  shepherds  and  their  collies.  The  agent 
from  whom  we  purchased  our  coal  was  one  of 
these  canny  Scots,  very  suspicious  that  in  some 
way  we  intended  to  get  the  better  of  him.  The 
coal  had  to  be  taken  from  a  hulk  in  which  wool 


266     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

was  also  stored,  and  as  the  wool  lay  on  top,  our 
men  had  by  no  means  easy  work.  The  agent 
added  to  delays  in  handling  by  insisting  that 
the  hoisting  buckets  should  be  frequently  weighed. 
Murphy,  one  of  our  boatswain's  mates,  finally 
raised  a  laugh  at  his  expense  by  calling  out,  as 
a  loaded  bucket  reached  the  deck,  "Here!  lower 
again  for  another  weigh !  There's  a  fly  on  the 
edge  of  that  bucket!" 

We  had  been  warned  while  at  Callao  that  the 
Spaniards  had  a  torpedo  boat  in  the  Rio  de  la 
Plata,  and  as  she  had  had  ample  time  to  get  down 
to  the  Straits,  we  took  every  precaution  against 
a  surprise  while  lying  at  Sandy  Point.  Before 
we  left  there,  the  gunboat  Marietta  joined  us. 
She  carried  six  guns,  and  her  captain  was  Com- 
mander Symonds.  On  the  way  to  Rio  she  led, 
making  what  speed  she  could,  and  throwing  over 
barrels,  which  we  used  for  targets.  We  showed 
no  lights  during  this  run.  As  we  neared  Rio,  we 
left  the  Marietta  and  ran  ahead,  reaching  there 
April  30  and  promptly  cabling  our  arrival,  for  we 
knew  that  news  of  the  ship  was  anxiously  awaited. 

It  was  at  Rio  that  we  first  received  word  that 
war  had  been  declared.     The  newspapers  were  full 


THE  OREGON'S  RACE  267 

of  rumors  of  the  battle  that  had  been  fought  at 
Manila,  but  I  could  not  rejoice  wholeheartedly 
in  our  reported  victory,  for  the  casualties  an- 
nounced were  two  hundred,  and  I  knew  that 
my  son-in-law  was  in  the  fleet. 

A  cablegram  from  the  Navy  Department  in- 
formed us  that  the  Spanish  torpedo  boat  Temerario 
was  reported  to  have  left  Montevideo,  probably 
for  Rio.  This  was  disturbing  information.  If 
the  torpedo  boat  should  arrive  and  had  an  ordi- 
narily enterprising  commander,  I  felt  he  would 
not  hesitate  to  violate  the  rights  of  a  neutral  port, 
if  by  so  doing  he  could  put  one  of  our  four  first- 
class  battleships  out  of  action.  To  justify  his 
attack,  he  would  only  have  to  point  to  our  own 
conduct  at  Bahia,  another  Brazilian  port,  when 
one  of  our  ships,  the  Wachusett,  captured  the 
Confederate  steamer  Florida.  This  was  a  clear 
violation  of  international  law,  but  the  captain 
of  the  Wachusett  was  neither  surrendered  to  the 
Brazilian  authorities,  nor  punished  in  any  way 
by  us. 

Of  course,  my  first  move  was  an  attempt  to 
communicate  with  the  American  Minister  and 
the  Consul  General,  but  knowing  this  might  in- 


MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

volve  some  time,  I  did  not  wait  before  taking  the 
initiative.  I  got  under  way  at  once,  with  coal 
lighters  alongside,  and  steamed  up  the  bay, 
nearly  two  miles  above  the  man-of-war  anchorage. 
By  leaving  this  anchorage,  ordinarily  used  by 
men-of-war,  to  the  Temerario,  I  could  assume 
that  any  move  she  made  up  the  bay  in  our  direc- 
tion might  be  certainly  interpreted  as  hostile, 
and  would  give  me  the  right  to  turn  our  guns  upon 
her.  If  we  were  lying  at  the  anchorage  together, 
any  mischief  she  contemplated  might  be  done 
before  we  had  a  chance  to  discover  her  inten- 
tion. The  Marietta,  too  small  a  pawn  in  the 
game  of  war  to  form  any  inducement  for  an 
infringement  of  neutral  rights,  was  to  remain 
at  the  anchorage.  Her  commander  had  instruc- 
tions to  explain  matters  at  once  to  the  Spanish 
captain,  should  he  arrive,  and  to  state  that  a 
constant  watch  would  be  kept  upon  him,  the 
Marietta's  searchlight  being  used  at  night  for 
that  purpose. 

Before  starting  up  the  bay,  I  had  sent  an  officer 
ashore  to  see  the  Brazilian  Minister  of  Marine 
and  explain  our  situation.  I  was  a  little  afraid 
I  might  be  advised  to  settle  my  perplexities  by 


THE   OREGON'S  RACE  269 

leaving  port ;  but  this  would  not  have  suited  my 
plans  at  all,  and  fortunately  I  found  the  authori- 
ties most  obligingly  disposed.  They  not  only 
concurred  in  my  arrangements,  but  even  sug- 
gested ordering  one  of  their  own  cruisers  to 
watch  for  the  Spaniard,  escort  him  to  the  re- 
motest part  of  the  bay  and  see  that  if  he  moved 
at  all,  it  would  be  merely  to  leave  the  harbor. 
Indeed,  before  the  hurried  return  of  our  Minister, 
Mr.  Bryan,  from  the  summer  capital  at  Petro- 
polis,  everything  was  satisfactorily  adjusted.  Our 
Government  was  reaping  the  reward  of  having 
taken  measures  to  secure  the  friendship  and  good 
will  of  the  Brazilians.  They  were  sorely  in  need 
of  money  at  the  time,  and  we  had  offered  them 
one  million  dollars  for  the  almost  worthless 
Nictheroy.  She  was  still  undergoing  repairs  when 
she  was  turned  over  to  me  and  placed  under  my 
orders. 

Having  settled  this  first  difficulty,  I  found 
myself  confronted  by  an  even  more  vital  question 
in  the  next  few  hours.  I  think  I  can  give  no 
better  idea  of  the  situation  than  by  quoting  the 
dispatches  received  from  the  Navy  Department 
from  April  30,    the   time  of  our  arrival,   up  to 


270      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

May  4,  when  we  sailed.  These,  of  course,  were  in 
code  and  were  deciphered  by  Ensign  Johnston,  my 
clerk.  There  was  so  much  anxiety  evidenced  in 
them  that  I  felt  they  were  not  calculated  to  put 
confidence  into  the  ship's  company,  so  I  kept  all 
but  portions  of  them  to  myself. 

That  of  April  30  instructed  me  to  "await 
orders." 

The  one  of  May  1  said :  "  Four  Spanish  cruisers 
heavy  and  fast,  three  torpedo  boats,  deep-sea 
class,  sailed  April  29th  from  Cape.  Verde  Islands 
to  the  west.  Destination  unknown.  Must  be 
left  to  your  discretion  entirely  to  avoid  this 
fleet  and  to  reach  the  United  States  or  the  West 
Indies.  You  can  go  where  you  desire,  or  if  it  be 
considered  as  last  resort  and  can  rely  upon  Bra- 
zilian protection  may  remain  there  under  plea 
of  repairs.  Nictheroy  and  Marietta  subject  to 
orders  of  yourself." 

Cablegram  of  May  2.  "  Do  not  sail  from  Rio 
Janeiro,  Brazil,  until  further  orders." 

Same  date.  "  My  telegram  May  2nd  counter- 
manded. Carry  out  instructions  in  my  telegram 
May  1st  to  proceed  with  Oregon,  Marietta  and 
Nictheroy. 


THE   OREGON'S  RACE  271 

May  3rd.  "Inform  Department  of  your  plans. 
Spanish  fleet  in  Philippines  annihilated  by  our 
naval  force  on  the  Asiatic  station." 

The  general  trend  of  these  telegrams  made  it 
plain  that  the  Department  felt  our  position  was 
critical,  and  that  it  did  not  wish  at  such  a  dis- 
tance from  the  scene  of  action  to  take  the  re- 
sponsibility of  forcing  one  ship,  however  great 
the  need  for  her,  to  face  the  chances  of  so  unequal 
a  contest.  Therefore  it  left  the  decision  to  me. 
I  appreciated  the  consideration,  but  at  the  same 
time  it  was  a  case  where  one  would  have  much 
preferred  to  be  backed  by  positive  orders.  In 
entering  upon  a  course  which  involved  the  pos- 
sible loss  of  a  ship  so  valuable  to  the  nation,  the 
feeling  that  you  were  simply  carrying  out  the 
wishes  of  that  nation  would  have  been  a  strong 
moral  support.  As  I  was  denied  this,  I  thought 
the  situation  over  with  the  utmost  care,  and 
came  to  these  conclusions.  First  and  foremost : 
if  this  Spanish  squadron  were  headed  for  the 
West  Indies,  as  I  was  inclined  to  believe,  the 
necessity  for  the  Oregon  s  presence  there  with 
our  fleet  was  all  the  more  urgent.  If,  on  the 
contrary,  it  was  making  for  Rio  with  the  idea  of 


272      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

intercepting  the  Oregon^  it  could  undoubtedly,  by 
maintaining  a  certain  speed,  arrive  in  that  vicinity 
before  we  could  get  away,  but  it  did  not  seem 
likely  to  me  that  the  Spaniards  would  make  this 
attempt  to  cut  off  a  single  ship,  especially  as 
there  was  a  possibility  of  missing  her  altogether. 
And  if  they  did  come  upon  us,  we  would  give 
them  a  good  fight.  I  made  up  my  mind  to  take 
the  chance. 

I  then  called  all  the  commissioned  officers  to- 
gether and  told  them  of  the  contents  of  the  cable- 
grams, except  of  the  permission  to  remain  in  Rio 
for  repairs.  Their  loyal  support  and  enthusiasm 
was  most  encouraging.  I  then  laid  before  them  the 
plan  for  the  conduct  of  a  fight  in  case  we  met  the 
Spaniards.  It  was  my  intention  to  make  it  a 
running  fight,  if  possible,  as  we  could  use  six  tur- 
ret guns,  and  two  six-inch  guns  right  astern,  and 
I  hoped  that  by  running  at  our  full  speed,  we  might 
be  able  to  string  out  the  pursuers  and  cope  with 
them  singly,  as  did  the  survivor  of  the  Horatii 
when  flying  from  his  three  weakened  enemies. 
This  allusion  to  the  Horatian  tactics  was  re- 
ferred to  by  Captain  Mahan  when  he  wrote : 
"Captain  Clark  drew  for  support  from  the  foun- 


THE  OREGON'S  RACE  273 

tain  heads  of  history;  from  the  remote  and  even 
legendary  past." 

We  sailed  from  Rio  on  May  4,  and  finding  a  few 
hours  afterwards  that  we  were  greatly  hampered 
by  the  Marietta  and  Nictheroy,  and  knowing 
that  they  would  be  rather  a  source  of  anxiety 
than  help  in  battle,  left  them  off  Cape  Frio  and 
pushed  on. 

The  morning  after  our  departure,  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  R.  F.  Nicholson,  the  navigator,  I  called 
the  crew  aft  and  read  them  the  dispatches  con- 
cerning the  strength  of  the  Spanish  squadron  and 
the  uncertainty  of  its  movements.  I  added  that 
I  was  sure,  should  we  meet,  that  we  would  at  least 
lower  Spain's  fighting  efficiency  upon  the  seas, 
and  that  her  fleet  would  not  be  worth  much  after 
the  encounter. 

The  men  cheered  and  rejoiced  as  though  the 
fleet  had  been  already  sighted  and  a  victory  assured. 

Four  days  later  we  ran  into  the  port  of  Bahia, 
and  I  dispatched  the  following  cablegram,  which 
would  of  course  allow  the  Department  control  of 
the  situation  again. 

"Much  delayed  by  the  Marietta  and  Nictheroy. 
Left  them  near  Cape  Frio,  with  orders  to  come 


274      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

here,  or  to  beach  if  necessity  compels  it  to  avoid 
capture.  The  Oregon  could  steam  fourteen  knots 
for  hours  and  in  a  running  fight  could  beat  off 
and  even  cripple  Spanish  fleet.  With  present 
amount  of  coal  on  board  will  be  in  good  fighting 
trim  and  could  reach  West  Indies.  If  more 
should  be  taken  here  I  could  reach  Key  West, 
but  in  that  case  belt  armor,  cellulose  belt,  and 
protective  deck  would  be  below  water  line. 
Whereabouts  of  Spanish  fleet  requested." 

The  Department  answered.-  "Proceed  at  once 
to  West  Indies  without  further  stop  Brazil.  No 
authentic  news  Spanish  fleet.  Avoid  if  possible. 
We  believe  you  will  defeat  it  if  met." 

On  receipt  of  this  dispatch,  we  left  Bahia  at 
once,  and  two  days  later,  having  turned  Cape 
San  Roque,  the  Oregon  could  at  last  lay  a  course 
for  home  waters. 

While  off  the  mouth  of  the  Amazon,  the  great- 
est of  rivers,  we  passed  the  smallest  vessel  that 
ever  circumnavigated  the  globe.  This  was  the 
yawl  Spray,  sailed  by  one  man.  Captain  Slocum 
of  New  Bedford.  Before  we  were  out  of  sight, 
she  hoisted  a  signal  which  we  did  not  make  out, 
but  he  states  in  the  history  he  afterwards  wrote 


THE  OREGON'S  RACE  275 

of  the  voyage  that  it  read,  "Let  us  keep  together 
for  mutual  protection." 

On  May  18,  about  two  a.m.  we  entered  CarHsle 
Roads,  Barbadoes,  and  anchored.  The  Governor 
immediately  sent  word  that  we  must  leave  within 
twenty-four  hours,  but  added  that  we  could  reckon 
the  twenty-four  from  daylight  the  next  morning, 
which  would  give  us  a  little  additional  time. 
Later  he  informed  us  that  as  the  American  consul 
had  sent  off  a  cablegram  to  the  United  States 
announcing  our  arrival  before  the  order  had  been 
given  that  no  dispatches  were  to  be  sent,  he  must 
in  fairness  allow  the  Spanish  consul  to  cable  the 
same  news  to  the  Governor  of  Porto  Rico.  Our 
short  stay  in  Barbadoes  was  not  of  a  cheering 
nature.  The  first  news  that  greeted  us  was  that 
our  fleet  had  attacked  San  Juan  and  been  repelled. 
From  the  boats  that  pulled  off  within  hail  —  none 
were  allowed  to  board  us  because  we  had  come 
from  fever-infected  ports  —  we  gathered  the  pleas- 
ing intelligence  that  the  Spanish  fleet  was  waiting 
for  us  outside,  report  having  by  this  time  swelled 
its  numbers  to  eighteen  vessels.  Three  torpedo  or 
scout  boats  were  said  to  have  been  positively 
sighted  from  elevated  points  on  the  island. 


276      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE   NAVY 

We  hoped  and  believed  that  these  rumors  were 
exaggerated,  but  could  not  afford  to  ignore  them 
altogether,  for  it  was  possible  that  Cervera's  squad- 
ron had  been  reinforced  by  gunboats  from  Cuba ; 
so  with  the  object  of  making  our  actions  as  mis- 
leading as  possible  to  those  who  might  be  supplying 
information  to  the  enemy,  we  announced  that  we 
would  take  on  coal  as  late  as  two  a.m.,  while 
actually  planning  to  leave  much  earlier.  Indeed, 
before  ten  that  evening,  the  lighters  were  cast 
off,  and  the  Oregon  steaming  out  of  the  roadstead. 
With  lights  showing,  we  ran  for  a  few  miles  to- 
wards the  passage  between  Martinique  and  Santa 
Lucia,  then,  extinguishing  them,  we  turned  south- 
ward and  ran  back  towards  Barbadoes.  After 
getting  well  outside,  we  shaped  our  course  clear 
of  the  Virgin  Islands,  then  off  the  Bahamas,  and 
made  for  the  coast  of  Florida,  the  last  stage  of  our 
long  journey. 

The  latest  news  that  had  reached  us  of  our  own 
fleet  was  that  a  part  of  it  was  concentrated  near 
the  Dry  Tortugas,  and  a  part  at  Hampton  Roads. 
By  touching  at  Jupiter  Inlet  and  telegraphing 
the  Department  from  there,  it  could  send  us 
orders  to  reinforce  either  of  these  squadrons.     So 


THE   OREGON'S  RACE  277 

it  was  that  on  the  night  of  May  24,  the  rays  of 
Jupiter  Light  streamed  out  to  the  Oregon  like  the 
fingers  of  some  friendly  hand  extended  to  welcome 
her  home.  One  of  our  boats,  in  charge  of  Ensign 
Johnston,  was  hurried  ashore  with  the  following 
telegram  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

"  Oregon  arrived.  Have  coal  enough  to  reach 
Dry  Tortugas  in  33  hours.  Hampton  Roads 
in  52  hours.  Boat  landed  through  surf  awaits 
answer." 

The  reply  came:  **If  ship  is  in  good  condi- 
tion go  to  Key  West.  Otherwise  to  Hampton 
Roads.  The  Department  congratulates  you  on 
your  safe  arrival,  which  has  been  reported  to 
the  President." 

The  Oregon,  on  receipt  of  this  telegram,  started 
for  Key  West,  arriving  there  May  26.^  We 
began  coaling  at  once  from  lighters  we  found 
waiting  for  us  outside  the  reef.     Admiral  Samp- 

1  While  at  Key  West,  or  later  off  Santiago,  Lieutenant  C.  M. 
Stone,  Ensign  L.  A.  Bostwick,  Naval  Cadets  P.  B.  Dungan,  E.  J. 
Sadler,  C.  C.  Kalbfus,  H.  J.  Brinser,  C.  G.  Hatch,  C.  Shackford  and 
T.  C.  Dunlap  joined  the  ship  and  served  through  the  war.  One  of 
our  naval  cadets,  Mr.  Gill,  had  become  seriously  ill  on  the  run  from 
the  Pacific  and  was  sent  home.  Lieutenant  H.  W.  Harrison,  who  had 
well  performed  the  duties  of  both  watch  and  division  officer  during 
the  voyage,  was  injured  during  one  of  the  bombardments  at  Santiago^ 
and  was  transferred  to  the  hospital  and  then  home. 


278     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THIi  NAVY 

son's  flagship,  Neio  York,  came  in  for  coal  the 
next  morning,  and  it  was  while  making  my 
official  call  on  the  Admiral  that  he  told  me  of  the 
plan  for  blocking  the  harbor  entrance  at  Santiago, 
where  Cervera's  squadron  had  just  been  located, 
by  sinking  a  steamer  in  the  channel.  This  idea 
seemed  to  me  an  excellent  one,  as  I  think  it  would 
have  to  any  one  at  that  time,  for  the  Spanish  cruis- 
ers were  then  regarded  as  much  speedier  than  our 
battleships,  and  the  only  two  of  our  vessels  we 
imagined  could  bring  them  to  action,  the  New 
York  and  Brooklyn,  would,  with  their  compara- 
tively light  armor,  have  suffered  heavily  in  such 
an  event,  if  they  had  not  been  altogether  de- 
stroyed. The  later  annihilation  of  the  Spanish 
fleet  no  more  disproves  the  wisdom  of  this  plan 
as  we  saw  matters  then,  than  the  failure  of  Hobson 
and  his  brave  companions  to  effect  what  they  in- 
tended disproves  their  heroism. 

On  the  afternoon  of  May  27,  our  crew  was 
increased  by  the  arrival  of  sixty  young  men  of 
the  Chicago  Naval  Reserves.  They  remained 
with  the  Oregon  until  she  went  to  New  York 
after  the  war,  taking  part  in  the  bombardments 
at  Santiago  and  later  in  the  decisive   battle  of 


THE  OREGON'S  RACE  279 

July  3,  and  winning  from  all  our  oflScers  and  men 
the  highest  esteem  and  friendly  regard.^ 

The  night  following  this  addition  to  our  crew, 
we  sailed  about  eleven  o'clock,  and  the  next 
morning  fell  in  with  Admiral  Watson's  fleet.  It 
was  Sunday  morning,  and  all  hands  in  the  fleet 
were  dressed  for  inspection.  Our  decks  were  still 
piled  with  coal,  and  everybody  black  with  its 
dust.  I  was  not  permitted  to  report  on  board 
the  flagship,  however,  before  we  had  passed  the 
length  of  the  entire  line,  the  crews  cheering  them- 
selves hoarse  as  we  went  by,  and  the  Indiana's 
band  playing  "The  New  Bully."  Truly,  we  felt 
as  some  one  aptly  described  the  Highlanders, 
"Proud  and  dirty." 

Watson's  fleet  was  practically  marking  time 
north  of  Cuba  and  near  the  western  entrance  of 
the  Bahama  Channel,  in  order  to  intercept  Cer- 
vera's  squadron,  should  it  leave  Santiago  and 
attempt  to  reach  Havana  that  way.  There  were 
two  or  three  monitors  in  this  fleet,  and  our 
arrival  enabled  the  battleship  Indiana  to  leave 
for  coal.     The  next  morning  Admiral  Sampson 

1  These  young  men  later  formed  a  society,  called  by  my  name, 
and  by  which  I  was  twice  handsomely  entertained  in  Chicago. 


280      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

arrived.  He  was  much  disturbed  by  the  report 
that  our  fleet  under  Commodore  Schley,  which 
was  blockading  Santiago,  had  retired  to  the 
westward.^  He  at  once  telegraphed  the  De- 
partment that  having  the  support  of  the  Oregon 
he  would  start  for  Santiago  at  once  and  blockade 
for  an  indefinite  time  if  necessary.  So  the  Ore- 
gon's worn-out  engine-room  force  must  prepare 
for  a  dash  of  seven  hundred  miles  at  speed  again. 
All  felt  that  we  had  come  at  a  supreme  moment, 
however,  and  gladly  made  ready  to  do  their  utmost. 
We  were  asked  what  was  the  best  speed  we 
could  make  without  undue  strain  on  our  ma- 
chinery, and  answered  "fourteen  knots."  Twice, 
in  the  early  part  of  the  run,  the  Oregon  came  rac- 
ing up  almost  abeam  of  the  New  York,  and  was 
checked  by  the  signal,  "Keep  your  station  bet- 
ter." These  checks  in  full  career  meant  an  un- 
necessary waste  of  steam  and  effort  on  the  part 
of  the  men,  so  when  another  signal  came,  "Gan 
you  maintain  speed  without  too  much  strain  on 
machinery,"  I  answered,  "Yes,  if  we  are  not  re- 
quired to  keep  our  station." 

1  Fortunately  Commodore  Schley  returned  a  few  hours  later  and 
renewed  the  blockade. 


THE   OREGON'S  RACE  281 

This  must  have  occasioned  some  explanations 
on  the  flagship,  for  it  was  some  minutes  before  the 
reply  came  back.  "The  Admiral  does  not  wish 
you  to  keep  in  your  station." 

After  that  the  Oregon  tore  along  like  a  thor- 
oughbred, passing  the  New  York  or  dropping 
astern,  as  her  firemen  and  coal  heavers  flagged,  or 
roused  themselves  anew. 


CHAPTER  XI 

Santiago 

"  Through  smoke  and  flame  the  battle  raged, 
And  every  missile  sent 
Was  planted  where  it  counted  most 

And  where  the  gunners  meant. 
While  leading  all,  the  Oregon 
Dashed  swiftly  to  the  van, 
And  raked  and  riddled  with  her  guns 
Each  deck  where  dared  a  man." 

—  John  Flagg,  Lyrics  of  New  England. 

Two  more  days,  and  doubt  and  excitement 
were  ended,  for  in  the  haze  off  Santiago  our  ships 
were  sighted.  Their  appearance,  and  later  their 
signals,  proved  them  to  be  the  Brooklyn,  Massa- 
chusetts, Iowa,  Texas,  Marblehead,  and  New 
Orleans,  with  several  smaller  consorts.^     We  took 

1  Names  of  ships  and  commanders  taking  part  in  battle  or  bom- 
bardments at  Santiago : 

New  York,  Captain  Chadwick,  flagship  of  Admiral  Sampson. 
Brooklyn,  Captain  Cook,  flagship  of  Commodore  Schley. 

282 


SANTIAGO  283 

up  our  station  some  distance  east  of  the  entrance 
to  the  harbor  and  began  our  part  in  the  blockade 
which  was  to  last  until  July  third.  The  night 
of  our  arrival,  Hobson  made  the  attempt  to  carry 
out  the  plan  of  blocking  the  narrow  channel. 
The  nature  of  the  enterprise  —  which  seemed 
full  as  desperate  as  that  in  which  Somers,  Israel, 
Dorsey,  and  Wadsworth  lost  their  lives  in 
Tripoli  — ■  was  no  check  upon  the  eagerness  of 
our  officers  and  men  to  share  in  it.  Of  the  many 
that  volunteered  for  the  expedition,  only  a  few 
could  be  taken,  however.  When  morning  dawned, 
it  was  thought  at  first  that  Hobson's  object  had 
been  achieved,  for  the  sunken  Merrimac,  with 
her  smokestack,  spars,  and  upper  works  showing, 
seemed  to  us  to  be  lying  directly  in  the  channel. 

First-class  battleships : 

Massachusetts,  Captain  Higginson. 

Iowa,  Captain  Evans. 

Indiana,  Captain  Taylor. 

Oregon,  Captain  Clark. 
Second-class  battleship : 

Texas,  Captain  Philip. 
Cruisers  : 

New  Orleans,  Captain  Folger. 

Marblehead,  Captain  McCalla. 

Yankee,  Commander  Brownson. 
Gunboats : 

Gloucester,  Lieutenant  Commander  Wainwright. 

Vixen,  Lieutenant  Commander  Sharp. 


284      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

In  fact,  the  Oregon  and  Texas  were  ordered  to 
take  positions  close  enough  in  shore  to  prevent 
the  enemy  from  boarding  or  moving  her.  It 
soon  developed,  however,  that  she  had  drifted 
too  far  over  to  the  eastern  side  of  the  channel  to 
block  it  ejffectively.  Speculation  as  to  the  fate  of 
Hobson  and  his  heroic  crew  was  relieved  by  an 
announcement  of  their  safety  from  the  magnani- 
mous Cervera,  who  strangely  enough  had  been 
the  one  to  rescue  them. 

On  June  4,  Commodore  Schley  and  the  captains 
were  called  on  board  the  flagship  for  a  conference. 
An  attack  upon  the  Spanish  batteries  had  been 
planned  for  the  next  day,  and  the  Admiral  wished 
to  assign  us  our  stations.  Captain  Philip  sug- 
gested that  as  the  date  set  was  Sunday,  there  be  a 
delay  of  twenty-four  hours,  and  to  this  Sampson 
agreed.  As  suggestions  seemed  to  be  in  order, 
I  brought  forward  one  that  appeared  to  me  most 
essential.  It  was  in  relation  to  our  defense  against 
attacks  by  torpedo  boats,  at  least  a  couple  of 
which  we  knew  had  entered  the  harbor  with  the 
Spanish  cruisers.  Up  to  this  time,  the  only  watch 
that  had  been  maintained  against  what  should 
have  been  a  most  effective  weapon  of  the  enemy 


SANTIAGO  285 

was  that  kept  by  our  gunboats,  which  naturally 
could  not  get  very  close  to  the  harbor  entrance 
without  being  observed  and  fired  upon.  My 
proposal  that  launches  or  pulling  boats  should  also 
be  used  for  this  picket  duty  roused  some  debate, 
for  our  ships,  stripped  for  war  service,  had  only 
two  or  three  boats  apiece,  and  in  addition  to  this 
scarcity  of  numbers,  there  was  the  anxiety  about 
their  crews  to  be  considered.  Should  rough 
weather  occur,  with  a  rising  sea,  there  would 
certainly  be  great  difficulty  in  picking  them  up. 
It  was  finally  decided  that  the  Massachusetts, 
New  York,  and  Oregon  should  furnish  these 
picket  boats.  When  Admiral  Sampson,  as  a 
further  precaution,  determined  to  illuminate  the 
entrance  with  searchlights  and  the  Massachusetts 
and  Oregon,  with  the  addition  of  the  Iowa,  were 
again  selected  for  duty,  I  felt  that  honors  were 
coming  our  way  a  little  too  thickly.  Every  night, 
within  close  range  of  the  Spanish  batteries,  our 
searchlight  making  us  veritably  a  shining  mark,  I 
used  to  look  at  the  dark  forms  of  my  crew  sleep- 
ing on  deck,  for  the  heat  made  anything  else  im- 
possible, and  think  what  havoc  in  their  ranks  a 
well-directed  fire  would  make.     With  this  cause 


286      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

for  uneasiness  added  to  the  trying  picket-boat 
duty,  I  thought  that  the  burden  might  have  been 
shared  to  advantage  with  the  Indiana,  Texas, 
and  Brooklyn. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  here  to  try  to  give 
some  idea  of  the  pecuharities  of  Santiago  harbor 
and  the  position  of  its  fortifications.  There  are 
hills  on  either  side  of  its  narrow  entrance,  on  the 
one  side  precipitous,  and  on  the  other  sloping. 
The  picturesque  mass  of  the  Morro  crowns  the 
abrupt  eastern  shore,  while  on  the  western  slope 
lay  the  Socapa  batteries.  Directly  at  the  en- 
trance the  channel  makes  a  sharp  turn  to  the 
right,  seeming  to  hide  itself  behind  the  craggy 
headland  of  the  Morro.  It  becomes  visible 
again  as  it  curves  to  the  left  to  round  Socapa 
Point,  then  with  another  bend  to  the  right  vanishes 
behind  the  high  land  of  Punta  Gorda,  which  to 
the  eye  of  the  observer  from  outside  would  almost 
appear  to  close  the  passage.  The  city  of  Santiago 
lies  four  miles  above  this  tortuous  entrance,  so 
it  will  be  seen  if  we  had  been  obliged  to  force  our 
way  in  to  fight  the  Spanish  fleet,  we  would  have 
been  exposed  to  the  fire  from  the  Morro  and  Socapa 
batteries,  then  to  the  mines  in  the  channel,  and 


SANTIAGO  287 

to  the  batteries  on  Punta  Gorda,  before  we  were 
able  to  reach  the  squadron  which  was  anchored 
near  the  city.  The  batteries  would  have  given 
us  little  concern,  since  experience  had  taught  us 
how  inefficiently  they  were  served,  but  the  mines 
were  a  real  menace,  for  if  our  leading  ship  were 
sunk  by  one,  it  would  block  the  way  for  all  the 
others.  I  learned  afterwards  from  Admiral  Samp- 
son that  if  circumstances  had  compelled  him  to 
force  an  entrance,  he  had  intended  to  have  the 
Oregon  lead  in,  so  I  might  have  been  vitally 
interested  in  the  position  of  these  mines. 

On  June  6  our  fleet  moved  forward  in  two 
columns  to  begin  the  first  bombardment.  The 
New  York  and  Brooklyn  led,  followed  by  the 
battleships  and  the  New  Orleans,  Marhlehead,  and 
Yankee.  The  columns  opened  to  right  and  left 
as  they  drew  within  range  and  brought  their 
broadsides  to  bear.  This  bombardment  —  as 
well  as  the  others  following  it  —  was  a  very  one- 
sided affair.  The-  Spaniards  never  fired  a  shot 
while  we  were  taking  position,  and  if  they  replied 
at  all  during  the  attack,  it  was  so  seldom  as  to  be 
scarcely  noticeable.  As  we  drew  out,  they  manned 
their  batteries  and  fired  a  few  scattering  shots 


288      MY   FIFTY  YEARS   IN  THE   NAVY 

after  us.  Even  the  most  conspicuous  target  did 
not  seem  to  rouse  them  to  activity,  for  in  a  later 
bombardment  the  Oregon  was  ordered  to  steam 
in,  in  advance  of  the  Hue,  and  silence  or  destroy  a 
rifle-gun  battery  on  the  Punta  Gorda,  which,  as 
will  be  remembered,  was  some  distance  inside  the 
entrance.  After  the  Oregon  had  taken  her  posi- 
tion and  begun  firing,  the  Massachusetts  and 
Indiana  joined  her,  and  the  battery  was  very 
quickly  disposed  of,  without  damage  resulting 
on  any  of  the  three  ships. 

On  June  10,  the  Oregon's  marine  guard,  under 
Captain  Randolph  Dickens  and  Lieutenant  Davis, 
in  company  with  marines  from  the  Marblehead  had 
landed  on  the  eastern  head  of  Guantanamo  Bay, 
the  first  armed  force  ^  to  set  foot  on  Cuban  soil. 
Later  in  the  afternoon,  the  Panther  arrived  with 
the  marine  battalion,  and  despite  several  annoy- 
ing attacks,  the  position  was  held  during  the  rest 
of  the  war.  This  guard  from  the  Oregon  seemed 
destined  to  see  stormy  service,  for  at  least  half  of 
them,  with  the  Newark's  marines,  were  sent  after- 

1  The  Marblehead  covered  this  landing,  and  her  commander.  Cap- 
tain Bowman  H.  McCalla,  was  afterwards  in  the  expedition  to  re- 
lieve Peking,  and  in  spite  of  at  least  three  wounds  received  was 
always  the  first  in  advance  and  the  last  in  retreat. 


SANTIAGO  289 

wards  to  form  part  of  the  Legation  guard  at  Pe- 
king, and  in  the  siege  that  followed  many  were 
killed  and  hardly  one  escaped  un  wounded. 
Lieutenant  Davis  fell  at  Tientsin. 

The  latter  part  of  June,  the  entrance  of  our 
army  into  Cuba  brought  complications  in  its 
train.  If  it  had  landed  beyond  the  Morro  to  the 
eastward  and,  moving  along  the  crest  of  the  high 
plateau  on  which  it  stands,  had  made  it  and  the 
Socapa  batteries  objects  of  attack,  we  could  have 
protected  one  flank  during  this  proceeding,  and 
if  it  were  successful,  could  then  have  gone  into  the 
channel  with  our  small  boats  and  picked  up  the 
mines.  This  would  have  left  the  way  open  for 
us  to  enter  the  harbor  and  tackle  the  Spanish 
fleet.  But  the  army,  instead  of  adopting  this 
cooperative  course,  had  marched  inland  towards 
the  city  of  Santiago,  where  it  had  fought  bravely, 
but  had  met  with  such  heavy  losses  that  General 
Shafter  wanted  Admiral  Sampson  to  force  the 
harbor  entrance  and  come  to  his  aid.  This  did 
not  seem  good  strategy  to  those  who  knew  that  the 
capture  or  destruction  of  Cervera's  squadron  was 
the  real  object  of  the  Cuban  campaign,  but  it 


290      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

was  obvious  that  something  would  have  to  be 
done  and  done  quickly,  for  the  yellow  fever 
season  was  approaching,  and  that  scourge  would 
have  mowed  down  our  forces  more  relentlessly 
than  any  human  enemy.  So  early  in  the  morning 
of  July  3,  Admiral  Sampson  in  the  New  York 
steamed  eastward  to  Siboney  for  a  conference  with 
General  Shafter.  The  Massachusetts  was  away 
at  Guantanamo,  coaling.  Owing  to  the  absence 
of  these  two  vessels,  the  other  ships  had  slightly 
changed  their  usual  positions  in  the  semicircle 
fronting  the  harbor.  The  Brooklyn  was  at  the 
end  of  the  line  to  the  westward,  then  came  the 
battleships  Texas,  Iowa,  Oregon  and  Indiana,  in 
the  order  named.  Also  there  were  the  two  small 
gunboats  Gloucester  and  Vixen,  stationed  at  the 
eastern  and  western  ends  of  the  circle.^ 

It  was  Sunday  morning,  and  a  beautiful,  clear 
day.  I  was  in  my  cabin  and  had  just  buckled 
on  my  sword  and  taken  up  my  cap  to  go  on  deck, 
for  the  first  call  for  inspection  had  sounded,  when 
suddenly   the  brassy  clang   of   the  alarm   gongs 

1  The  Gloucester  s  position  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  line  enabled 
her  to  follow  and  make  a  brilliant  attack  upon  the  enemy's  torpedo 
boats,  while  the  Vixen,  being  just  in  the  track  of  the  Spanish  cruisers, 
could  only  retreat,  but  this  was  done  in  the  most  creditable  way. 


SANTIAGO  291 

echoed  through  the  ship,  and  the  orderly  burst 
through  the  cabin  door,  exclaiming,  "The  Spanish 
fleet,  sir  !     It's  coming  out ! " 

I  hurried  on  deck,  thinking  it  must  be  a  false 
alarm,  but  as  I  hastened  forward,  man  after  man 
greeted  me  with,  "You'll  see  her  in  a  minute, 
Captain!     She's  behind  the  Morro  now!" 

Just  then  I  saw  clearly  enough  the  military  top, 
and  then  the  bow  and  smokestack  of  a  man-of- 
war  sliding  rapidly  past  the  second  point  in  the 
harbor,  and  as  she  disappeared  behind  the  Morro, 
the  leading  ship  rushed  out  from  the  entrance 
with  a  speed  that  seemed  inspired  by  the  assur- 
ance of  victory,  firing  her  guns  as  she  came. 

One  rapid  glance  around  showed  me  that  under 
the  energetic  supervision  of  Lieutenant  Com- 
mander Cogswell,  everything  was  being  done  in 
preparation  for  battle.  The  Oregon  was  thrilling 
with  life.  Men  were  hurrying  to  their  stations  at 
the  guns,  engines  were  throbbing,  screws  beginning 
to  revolve.  For  the  moment  I  interested  myself 
in  the  firing  of  a  six-pounder  near  the  bridge, 
with  the  idea  of  spreading  the  alarm  to  our  other 
ships.  There  has  been  much  said  about  who  fired 
the  first  shot  at  Santiago.     It  is  but  reasonable 


292      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

to  suppose  it  was  either  the  Iowa,  or  the  Oregon^ 
for  they  were  the  only  vessels,  which,  from  their 
stations,  had  a  clear  view  of  the  Santiago  channel 
and  consequently  of  the  ship  passing  Socapa 
point. 

We  had  a  general  order  from  the  Admiral,  if  the 
enemy  should  come  out  to  close  in  on  him  at  once, 
but  I  am  sure  every  commander  was  obeying  his 
natural  impulse  rather  than  any  order,  when 
the  forward  movement  began.  Before  the  lead- 
ing Spanish  ship,  the  Maria  Teresa,  was  obscured 
by  the  smoke  of  the  cannonading  which  started 
immediately,  I  had  seen  that  she  was  heading  to 
the  westward,  and  as  it  was  almost  certain  the 
others  would  follow  her,  and  it  was  equally  plain 
they  would  all  be  out  of  the  harbor  before  I 
could  reach  its  entrance,  I  too  turned  west. 
Suddenly,  from  behind  the  curtain  of  dense 
smoke,  the  Iowa  emerged,  close  on  our  starboard 
side.  I  gave  the  order,  "hard  a-starboard ! "  for 
it  was  evident  that  we  were  drawing  ahead  of  her 
slowly  and  ought  to  go  clear.  Just  then,  some  one 
near  me  shouted,  "Look  out  for  the  Texas T'  and 
I  turned  to  see  her  looming  through  the  smoke 
clouds  on  our  port  bow.     For  one  intense  moment 


SANTIAGO  293 

it  seemed  as  if  three  of  our  ships  might  be  put  out 
of  action  then  and  there,  leaving  only  the  Indiana 
and  the  lightly  armored  Brooklyji  to  cope  with  the 
foe.  The  only  thing  to  be  done  was  to  put  our 
helm  hard  a-port,  with  the  hope  that  we  might 
clear  the  Texas  and  that  the  Iowa,  seeing  that  we 
must  either  cross  her  bows  or  run  her  down, 
would  sheer  sharply  to  starboard.  Captains 
Philip  and  Evans,  both  fine  seamen,  must  have 
instantly  grasped  the  situation  and  acted  on  it, 
for  we  did  pass  between  them,  but  by  so  narrow 
a  margin  that  I  felt  that  coming  to  close  quarters 
with  the  Spaniards  would  be  infinitely  preferable 
to  repeating  that  experience. 

A  little  afterwards  the  smoke  lifted,  and  some- 
what ahead  of  us,  and  on  our  starboard  bow,  we 
saw  all  four  Spanish  ships,  and  realized  that  at 
last  our  meeting  with  the  long-looked-for  fleet 
was  actually  to  take  place.  They  showed  no 
signs  of  the  severe  punishment  they  had  received 
at  the  entrance,  and  as  we  did  not  know  then  how 
much  their  machinery  had  deteriorated,  I  noticed 
with  surprise  that  the  Oregon  was  not  only  keeping 
pace  with  them,  but  was  even  gaining  a  little. 
Indeed,  seeing  nothing  between  them  and  us,  for 


294      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

our  less  speedy  companions  were  considerably  in 
the  rear,  I  said  to  the  navigator,  "Well,  Nichol- 
son, it  seems  we  have  them  on  our  hands  after 
all." 

At  that  moment,  some  distance  outside,  and 
therefore  on  our  port  bow,  I  saw  the  Brooklyn, 
Commodore  Schley's  flagship,  and  commanded  by 
my  old  friend,  F.  A.  Cook.  She  was  a  little 
ahead  of  us,  and  her  guns  were  doing  good  work. 
Although  we  knew  that  with  her  light  armor  and 
less  powerful  battery  she  could  not  give  us  the 
aid  one  of  the  battleships  would  have  afforded, 
yet  the  feeling  of  having  a  comrade  in  arms  near 
us  was  much,  and  I  remember  saying  with  some 
emotion  to  one  of  those  standing  beside  me, 
"My  old  roommate  is  in  command  of  that  ship." 

At  almost  the  same  moment,  as  we  afterwards 
learned,  when  w^e  tore  out  of  the  smoke  clouds 
and  were  sighted  by  the  little  group  upon  the 
Brooklyn's  bridge,  the  relief  at  our  approach  broke 
out  in  exclamations  of,  "Here  comes  the  Oregon! 
It's  the  Oregon,  God  bless  her  ! "  Ensign  Johnston, 
who  was  close  at  my  side  all  that  day,  reported 
that  the  Brooklyn  had  a  signal  flying,  which  read 
"Follow  the  flag",  and  I  immediately  ordered  it 


SANTIAGO  295 

to  be  repeated  on  the  Oregon,  so  that  the  vessels 
further  astern  might  see  it. 

About  this  time  we  noticed  signs  of  distress 
on  the  sternmost  Spaniard.  This  was  the  Maria 
Teresa,  Cervera's  flagship.  As  she  had  come  out 
of  the  harbor  first  and  then  fallen  back  to  the  rear, 
I  have  always  thought  it  must  have  been  Cer- 
vera's chivalrous  idea  —  he  came  of  one  of  the  old 
Castilian  families  to  whom  such  ideas  are  natural 
—  to  cover  the  retreat  of  his  flying  ships  and  to 
bear  the  brunt  of  the  combat.  Smoke  was  seen 
presently  rolling  up  from  the  doomed  vessel,  and 
making  a  sharp  turn,  she  headed  for  the  beach. 
As  her  colors  were  still  flying,  we  raked  her  as  we 
went  past  —  I  remember  it  went  to  my  heart  to 
do  it  —  and  pushed  on  for  the  next  ahead,  the 
Oquendo.  We  closed  in  on  her  to  a  distance  of 
about  eight  hundred  yards,  the  nearest  that 
vessels  approached  that  day.  She  could  not 
stand  the  punishment  long.  Fires  broke  out  all 
over  her,  and  she  too  ran  for  the  shore.  Nichol- 
son said,  "Captain,  that  vessel  could  be  destroyed 
now,"  but  I  answered,  "No,  that's  a  dead  cock 
in  the  pit.  The  others  can  attend  to  her.  We'll 
push  on  for  the  two  ahead." 


296      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

It  took  us  a  little  time  to  come  abreast  of  the 
Vizcaya,  We  kept  up  a  continuous  fire  upon  her, 
but  it  was  nearly  eleven  o'clock  before  she  turned 
for  the  beach,  in  flames.  As  this  last  battle- 
torn  wreck  of  w^hat  had  once  been  a  proud  and 
splendid  ship  fled  to  the  shore  like  some  sick  and 
wounded  thing,  seeking  a  place  to  die,  I  could 
feel  none  of  that  exultation  that  is  supposed  to 
come  with  victory.  If  I  had  seen  my  own  decks 
covered  with  blood,  and  my  officers  and  men  dying 
around  me,  perhaps  resentment  would  have  sup- 
plied the  necessary  ingredient,  but  as  it  was,  the 
faces  of  the  women  and  children  in  far-away  Spain, 
the  widows  and  orphans  of  this  July  third,  rose 
before  me  so  vividly  that  I  had  to  draw  comfort 
from  the  thought  that  a  decisive  victory  is  after 
all  more  merciful  than  a  prolonged  struggle, 
and  that  every  life  lost  to-day  in  breaking  down 
the  bridge  to  Spain  might  mean  a  hundred  saved 
hereafter. 

The  Colon,  the  only  remaining  ship,  had  drawn 
several  miles  ahead,  and  as  she  kept  on  with  un- 
diminished speeed,  I  thought  a  shell  or  two  falling 
near  her  might  give  her  a  hint  that  it  would  be 
well  to  surrender.     So  a  little  after  twelve  o'clock, 


SANTIAGO  297 

when  she  was  still  at  a  distance  from  us,  I  con- 
sulted Nicholson  and  Ackerman  —  both  of  them 
ordnance  experts  —  and  Eberle,  who  had  been 
doing  fine  work  in  our  forw^ard  turret,  as  to  whether 
the  great  elevation  required  at  so  long  a  range 
would  be  too  much  of  a  strain  upon  guns  and 
mounts.  We  decided  to  fire  once  with  range  set 
for  nine  thousand,  ^ve  hundred  yards.  The  shot 
fell  short  and  we  were  preparing  to  increase  the 
range,  when  the  chief  engineer,  who  had  just  come 
up  on  deck,  said,  "Captain,  I  was  thankful  when 
I  heard  that  gun.  I  was  meaning  to  ask  you  if 
one  could  be  fired.  Our  men  down  below  are 
nearly  played  out,  but  if  they  can  only  hear  the 
guns,  they  will  brace  up  again." 

At  1.10  P.M.  one  of  our  shots  fell  close  alongside 
the  Colon,  and  she  headed  for  the  beach,  her  colors 
coming  down,  and  with  them  the  last  vestige  of 
Spain's  power  in  that  New  World  which  had  once 
known  her  as  its  ruler. 


CHAPTER  XII 

A  Sailor's  Log 

After  a  victory  so  absolute,  it  is  usual  to  begin 
to  count  the  cost,  but  to  our  amazement,  our 
ships,  one  after  another,  hoisted  the  signal  "no 
casualties.''  The  Brooklyn  was  the  only  excep- 
tion, and  she  suffered  the  loss  of  but  one  man. 
We  had  a  glorious  Fourth  of  July  present  to  offer 
the  nation,  for  seldom,  if  ever,  in  naval  history, 
has  there  been  an  instance  of  such  complete 
destruction  of  an  attacking  fleet. 

The  Cristobal  Colon  was  the  only  enemy  vessel 
that  had  not  been  severely  injured.  Captain  Cook 
of  the  Brooklyn  received  her  surrender.  We  looked 
forward  to  seeing  her  become  an  effective  addition 
to  our  navy,  in  which  the  name  she  bore  would  have 
seemed  singularly  appropriate,  but  either  through 
accident  or  treachery,  her  sea  valves  had  been 
opened,  and  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  her  prize 
crew  to  save  her,  she  sank  where  she  lay.     Her 

298 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  299 

last  resting  place  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
spots  on  the  Cuban  coast.  She  lies  where  Mount 
Tarquino  rises  abruptly  from  the  shore,  to  a  height 
of  eight  thousand  feet,  green  to  its  summit,  and 
its  base  bathed  in  that  bright,  blue  water  so 
wonderfully  rendered  in  W.  F.  Halsall's  spirited 
canvas,^  where  the  Oregon  is  seen  firing  the  last 
shot  in  the  battle  of  Santiago. 

One  of  our  officers  who  had  boarded  the  Colon 
brought  me  a  large  silver  platter  and  cover  be- 
longing to  her  wardroom  outfit,  for  as  he  pointed 
out,  they  were  both  marked  with  my  initials, "  C.  C." 

The  Oregon's  officers  and  crew  could  indeed 
feel,  as  the  signal  "Congratulations  over  the  great 
victory  and  thanks  for  your  splendid  assistance" 
went  up  from  the  Brooklyn,  that  they  had  de- 
served well  of  the  navy  and  the  nation.  With 
noble  endurance  and  unwearying  devotion  they 
had  brought  their  ship  in  splendid  condition  to  the 
scene  of  the  conflict  where  they  had  played  a  fore- 
most part. 2     As  I  was  rowed  over  in  my  gig  to 

1  Now  in  the  National  Museum  at  Washington.  Taken  to  San 
Francisco  by  the  Navy  Department  for  the  Exposition,  where  it  was 
constantly  guarded  by  sailors  from  the  Oregon. 

^  It  was  disappointing  that  these  brave  and  devoted  men  could 
not  have  had  the  satisfaction  that  the  tribute  planned  for  their  ship 


300      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

report  on  board  the  New  York,  her  crew  cheered 
for  the  Oregon  and  her  captain  so  heartily  and 
repeatedly,  that  after  rising  myself  to  acknowledge 
their  tribute,  I  asked  my  boat's  crew  to  rise, 
which  they  did  amidst  a  storm  of  cheers. 

There  are  a  few  occasions  in  a  man's  life  which 
will  remain  with  him  always.  That  was  one, 
and  another,  which  I  can  never  forget,  was  the 
day  when,  broken  in  health,  I  left  the  Oregon.  It 
was  a  pleasure  to  find  that  the  boat  in  which  I 
was  to  be  rowed  to  the  northbound  steamer  was 
manned  by  my  officers.  That  is  an  honor  deeply 
appreciated  by  any  captain.  But  I  was  surprised 
and  hurt,  as  we  left  the  ship's  side,  that  none  of 
the  men  were  visible.  Suddenly,  as  if  moved  by 
one  spring,  they  rose  from  the  decks  where  they 
had  been  lying  concealed,  and  led  by  old  Murphy, 
the  chief  boatswain's  mate,  joined  in  a  ringing 
shout  of  "God  bless  our  captain."  So  the  last 
impression  I  had  of  the  Oregon,  as  we  rowed  away, 
was  a  forest  of  waving  arms  and  tossing  caps, 

at  the  formal  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal  would  have  afforded 
them.  It  was  intended  that  the  Oregon  with  as  many  of  her 
original  complement  as  could  be  gathered  and  with  the  President  and 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  on  the  bridge  beside  her  commanding  oflScer 
would  lead  the  International  fleets  through  the  Canal. 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  301 

seen  through  a  mist,  although  the  day  was  clear 
and  bright. 

During  my  recovery  from  illness,  it  was  a  great 
happiness  to  me  to  read  of  the  enthusiasm  with 
which  the  Oregon  was  received  when  she  came 
north  with  the  other  ships.  The  fact  that  I  was 
not  bearing  a  prominent  part  in  these  festivities 
rather  added  to  than  detracted  from  this  feeling, 
for  I  have  never  learned  to  be  happy  or  easy  in  the 
spot-light. 

And  so  it  was  that  when  my  name  was  joined 
to  those  of  Sampson  and  Schley,  in  the  Senate 
bill  which  proposed  to  make  the  three  of  us  vice 
admirals,  and  owing  to  the  jealousies  and  strife 
of  the  famous  contest  after  Santiago,  it  failed  to 
pass,  I  can  truthfully  say  that  it  was  no  matter 
of  regret  to  me.  The  prominence  and  exacting 
duties  of  such  a  position  would  have  been  too 
much  of  a  strain  on  me  at  that  time,  and  I  feel 
that  better  health  and  longer  life  have  been 
mine,  in  remaining  a  rear  admiral  and  retiring 
at  the  age  of  sixty-two.  But  what  did  give  me 
the  keenest  satisfaction  was  the  knowledge  that 
nearly  all  the  officers  senior  to  me  on  the  navy 
list,   men  who  had   long   been   my   superiors   in 


MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

rank,  such  as  Watson,  Higginson,  Wadleigh,  and 
Chester,  who  are  still  living,  and  Casey,  Barker, 
Cotton,  Sands,  and  Cook,  generously  ignoring 
the  fact  that  I  would  be  placed  above  them,  all 
expressed  the  hope  that  I  would  be  made  a  vice 
admiral. 

With  this  same  feeling  in  mind,  when  President 
Roosevelt  wished  to  send  me  as  Naval  Represent- 
ative to  the  coronation  of  King  Edward,  I  was 
rather  glad  to  be  able  to  excuse  myself  on  the 
ground  that  my  income  as  a  captain  would  hardly 
be  adequate  to  the  demands  of  such  a  position. 
The  President  very  kindly  suggested  that  he  might 
be  able  to  secure  an  extra  grade  for  me.  I  told 
him  of  the  objections  I  had  always  felt  to  that 
sort  of  promotion  and  added  that  as  my  small 
experience  of  royalty  had  been  limited  to  a  Siwash 
Indian  chief  and  a  king  of  the  Cannibal  Islands,  I 
should  have  little  to  guide  me  in  court  functions. 
He  told  me  to  take  a  month  to  think  it  over,  and 
as  at  the  end  of  that  time  I  was  still  of  the  same 
opinion,  he  very  generously  allowed  me  to  nomi- 
nate the  officer  to  go  in  my  place.  This  gave  me 
the  pleasure  of  naming  my  friend  Rear  Admiral 
Watson,  whose  splendid  Civil  War  record,  I  had 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  303 

always  felt,  should  have  brought  him  more  rec- 
ognition both  during  and  after  the  Spanish  War. 
I  was  with  Admiral  Watson  when  he  went  to 
thank  the  President  for  his  appointment.  Roose- 
velt spoke  of  his  strong  desire  to  have  had  me  go, 
but  added  that  as  it  appeared  a  scalping  knife  or 
tomahawk  might  have  been  brandished  at  the 
Court  of  St.  James  if  I  had  reverted  to  my  only 
associations  with  royalty,  it  was  perhaps  better 
on  the  whole  that  another  should  take  my  place. 

During  the  years  1899  to  1901  I  was  second  in 
command  at  League  Island,  a  navy  yard  then  of 
minor  importance.  For  a  part  of  this  time,  how- 
ever, I  was  also  a  member  of  the  General  Board, 
which  had  just  then  been  formed.  This  was, 
and  continues  to  be,  the  most  interesting  duty 
open  to  a  naval  officer,  since  it  provides  for  con- 
stant and  prompt  interchange  of  ideas  between 
officers  serving  the  navy  afloat  and  those  whose 
experience  has  best  fitted  them  to  watch  its  in- 
terests on  shore  and  to  present  these  ideas  in 
concrete  form  for  the  consideration  of  the  Navy 
Department. 

From  1901  to  1904  I  was  Governor  of  the  Naval 
Home  in  Philadelphia,  and  afterwards  had  duty 


304      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

in  Washington  as  President  of  the  Examining  and 
Retiring  Boards.  These  last  two  positions  I 
retained  until  my  own  retirement  August  10, 
1905.  I  was  offered  the  command  of  the  European 
Squadron  and  later  that  of  the  Atlantic  Fleet. 

Our  stay  in  Philadelphia  was  rendered  delightful 
to  us  by  the  many  agreeable  social  relations  we 
formed  while  there.  For  Philadelphians,  while 
notoriously  reluctant  to  let  down  barriers  to  the 
stranger,  once  they  have  admitted  him  within 
their  gates,  are  the  most  hospitable  of  people. 
It  was  at  this  time  that  I  became  intimate  with 
Doctor  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  a  friendship  only  broken 
by  his  death.  His  lively  interest  in  all  things 
historical  pertaining  to  our  country  included  the 
voyage  of  the  Oregon  and  her  part  at  Santiago, 
and  he  often  urged  me  to  put  down  in  black  and 
white  what  I  could  remember  of  it.  He  was 
delighted  with  the  diary  kept  by  a  marine,  one  of 
my  cabin  orderlies,  in  the  Oregon,  regarding  it  as 
a  unique  piece  of  literature.  This  record  came 
into  my  hands  during  a  winter  I  was  spending  in 
Greenfield,  my  wife's  old  home.  Written  solely 
for  the  perusal  of  the  author's  sisters,  it  had  come 
into  the  hands  of  one  of  their  friends,  who  sent 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  305 

it  to  me.  I  showed  it  to  Chief  Justice  John  Adams 
Aiken  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Massachusetts, 
who  enjoyed  it  so  greatly  that  he  had  a  private 
edition  printed  for  circulation  among  his  friends. 
I  can  think  of  no  better  way  to  end  this  narra- 
tive than  with  Judge  Aiken's  preface  and  these 
"short  and  simple  annals"  of  "The  Voyage  of 
the  Oregon.'' 


"Almost  ten  years  have  passed  since  the  country 
followed,  in  scanty  telegram  from  port  to  port,  the 
Oregon  speeding  down  one  side  of  a  continent  and 
up  the  other  to  Bahia;  then  came  two  anxious, 
silent  weeks  when  apprehension  and  fear  pictured 
four  Spanish  cruisers  with  a  pack  of  torpedo  boats 
sailing  out  into  the  west  athwart  the  lone  ship's 
course,  the  suspense  ending  only  when  tidings 
came  of  her  arrival  at  Jupiter  Inlet;  then  off 
Santiago,  after  a  month  of  waiting,  there  is  the 
outcoming  of  Cervera's  squadron,  when  this 
splendid  ship,  with  steam  all  the  time  up,  leaps  to 
the  front  of  her  sisters  of  the  fleet,  like  an  un- 
leashed hound,  and  joins  the  historic  company  of 
the  Bon  Homme  Richard^  the   Constitution,   the 


306     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

Hartford,  in  our  naval  annals.  From  the  start 
at  the  Golden  Gate  to  the  beaching  of  the  Colon 
is  a  succession  of  events  full  of  thrilling  merit  and 
vitality  which  official  bickerings  and  envyings 
cannot  change  or  obscure. 

"The  story  has  been  told  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  quarterdeck,  the  courtroom  and  the  depart- 
ment bureau.  Here  we  have  the  artless  journal 
of  an  unlettered  sailor,  written  between  decks, 
without  the  least  notion  that  it  would  ever  be 
read  apart  from  his  own  family  circle.  The  pages 
of  his  record  give  an  insight  into  the  mutual 
regard  and  confidence  existing  between  the  cap- 
tain and  his  crew  which  made  the  voyage  the 
memorable  achievement  that  it  was." 

THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  OREGON 

So  we  started  on  the  19th  of  March  and  I  will 
try  and  give  you  some  idea  of  our  trip  on  this 
side  of  the  U.  S.  Capt  McCommick  got  sick  and 
had  to  be  relieved  to  go  on  sick  leif.  Capt  Clark 
was  in  command  of  the  Monteray  at  the  time  and 
he  was  a  young  Capt  too.  there  was  no  other 
one  around  there  at  that  time,  so  he  was  detailed 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  307 

to  take  comand  of  the  Oregon  and  a  prowed 
man  he  was  too,  and  we  wer  a  prowed  crew  along 
with  him.  He  was  glad  he  got  the  ship  and  we 
wer  glad  we  got  him.  we  knew  he  was  a  good 
Seaman.  Any  way  he  called  us  all  aft  on  the 
quarter  deck  and  read  out  his  orders  and  told  us 
that  we  wer  going  towards  south  America.  I 
will  now  try  and  give  you  the  trip. 

March  19.  1898  Up  anchor  at  8  A.M.  in  San 
Francisco  Bay.  I  had  the  8  to  12  watch  and 
we  past  through  the  Golden  Gate  at  9.15  A.M. 
and  left  the  Fairwell  Bouy  at  10.5  A.M.  and 
shaped  our  course  for  Callao,  Peru,  it  being 
S.  E.  ^  E,  and  at  the  same  time  we  drop  over 
the  Patent  Log  in  the  Briny,  the  Capt  gave 
orders  to  give  75  turns  and  that  brought  her 
out  about  11.5  knots.  Every  thing  is  runing 
smooth  and  all  Hunk. 

March  20.  Sliding  along  at  11.8  knots  gate. 
Everything  working  beautyfull.  nothing  of  in- 
terest going  on,  except  the  fine  Wether. 

March  21.  Changed  course  at  10  A.M.  to  S.  E. 
Will  not  put  down  any  thing  for  some  time  to 
come  as  there  is  nothing  unusual  going  on.     But 


308      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

I  wonder  if  we  will  get  there  to  catch  up  with 
the  Band  Wagon. 

April  4.  Arived  at  Calao,  Peru,  5.00  A.M.,  very 
pleasant  trip  all  the  way  down  the  coast,  we 
are  doing  quick  work  so  far.  started  to  coal 
ship  at  8  A.M.  and  as  soon  as  we  get  enough 
on  board  we  will  pull  right  out  for  the  straights 
of  Magellan  and  there  join  the  Marietta,  our 
little  Gun  Boat,  which  will  scout  the  straights 
for  us  in  case  there  is  a  Spanish  Torpedo  Boat 
in  one  of  the  Many  Coves.  She  can  go  in 
shallow  water  as  she  is  a  light  draft  boat  and 
at  the  same  time  order  coal  for  us. 

We  have  allready  made  one  of  the  grandest 
runs  on  record.  Just  think  of  it,  a  First  Class 
Battle  Ship  making  4800  miles  in  just  16  days 
and  used  900  Tons  of  Coal,  That  being  the 
longest  trip  on  record  for  a  First  Class  Battle  Ship. 

April  5.  We  are  now  laying  over  an  old  city 
in  Peru,  they  say  when  some  of  the  ships 
hoist  there  anchor  they  sometimes  rais  some  of 
the  old  houses  or  part  of  them  with  the  anchor. 
This  old  place  is  some  109  years  old,  the  Old 
Callao,    I   mean.     109   years   ago   they   had   an 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  309 

Earthquake  and  Tidle  Wave  hear  together  and 
did  up  the  city.  The  public  hear  speak  noth- 
ing put  Spanish  and  the  Capt  thinks  there 
might  be  som  sympathizers  amongst  Them,  so 
we  are  keeping  the  strickest  Kind  of  watch  on 
the  ship.  We  have  two  steam  cutters  pattrol- 
ing  the  ship  all  night  and  men  station  in  the 
fighting  tops  as  sharp  shooters,  the  steam  cut- 
ters are  armed  with  two  automatic  22  m.m. 
Rifles,  so  that  would  more  than  be  a  match  for 
a  ordinary  Torpedo  Boat,  and  while  all  the 
Post  on  Deck  were  Double  we  consider  our- 
selves pretty  safe.  They  are  puting  coal  on 
board  as  fast  as  they  can,  working  night  and 
day  to  get  it  all  on.  we  are  going  to  take  a  big 
lot  this  time. 

April  6.  Pay  day  today,  put  on  Sea  stors  to- 
day along  with  the  coal,  it  all  gos  togather. 
But  what  is  the  diferance,  this  is  War  times 
and  we  are  trying  to  get  in  it  and  I  think  we 
will  if  we  get  a  show.  I  bought  a  nice  pair  of 
shoes  today  for  3.50  in  U.  S.  Gold,  there  is 
no  liberty  to  any  one  hear  so  we  have  to  buy 
something  that  is  some  good  to  us.     Expect  to 


310      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

coal  ship  all  night  so  as  to  pull  out  to 
morrow. 

April  7.  Got  the  coal  on  this  morning  at  4  A. 
M.  there  is  about  1750  tons  on  now,  never  had 
so  much  on  before,  got  100  tons  on  deck  in 
sacks,  we  are  knocking  some  of  the  coal  dust 
off  the  sides.  She  is  a  very  dirty  ship  now  and 
expect  to  remain  so  for  a  long  time  to  come. 
There  is  some  talk  of  a  Spanish  Gun  Boat  or 
a  Torpedo  Boat  in  the  Straights  waiting  for 
us.  But  I  think  that  will  be  all  right  when  the 
Marietta  gets  there  to  patrole  the  place  for  us. 
We  expect  to  go  out  to  night  some  time.  7 
p.  m.  left  Port.  The  Capt  dont  know  wether 
to  go  round  the  Horn  or  not.  But  if  we  go, 
as  the  Dutchman  says  By  the  Horn  around, 
we  will  get  a  shaking  up.  But  every  body 
seems  to  think  we  can  take  care  of  our  selves 
where  ever  we  go.  Capt  Clark  is  all  right,  we 
dont  think  he  is  afraid  of  the  whole  Spanish 
Navy,  the  wether  is  very  fogy.  Expect  it  to 
lift  when  we  get  a  little  ways. 

April  9.  Alls  Well,  every  thing  doing  fine. 

April  10.  Just  came  on  watch;    have  all  four 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  311 

boilers  on  now  and  we  are  peging  along  at  a 
13.7  and  a  14  knot  gate,  you  dont  know  you 
are  at  sea  in  this  ship  if  you  would  stop  be- 
tween Decks,  guess  there  is  not  much  doing 
to  day,  so  I  will  steal  forward  for  a  while  the 
old  gent  sleeps  a  little.  I  forgot  to  speak  of 
having  a  little  practis  with  the  6  pounders. 
They  threw  over  Boxes  and  barrels  and  as  we 
would  get  away  from  them  we  would  fire  on 
them  for  Torpedo  Boats,  we  did  some  good 
shooting.  All  the  Marines  Man  the  seccondary 
Battry.  The  Capt  got  the  chief  engineer  to 
fix  the  8  inch  turets  to  turn  in  Board  9  more 
degrees  so  as  to  shoot  over  the  stern  of  the 
ship.  So  that  would  bring  to  bear  on  one  point 
2,  13  inch  Guns  4,  8  inch  Guns  2,  6  inch  Guns 
and  six  6  Pounders  aft,  and  the  same  forward. 
We  could  shoot  for  a  Broad  side  4,  13  inch  4, 
8  inch  2,  6inch  and  about  12,  6  Pounders  on 
either  side. 

Of  corse  this  is  Sunday  and  we  all  ought  to 
be  good.  But  we  will  be  as  good  as  we  can  By 
having  a  Gen  feild  day  and  clean  up  a  little, 
as  this  is  the  first  chance  we  have  had  to  do 
any  scrubing  since  we  left  San  Francisco,  Cal. 


312      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

I  think  we  will  meet  the  Marietta  in  the 
Straights  of  Magellan,  we  have  found  some 
grate  Bars  for  her  under  the  coal  dust.  We 
all  think  Capt  Clark  is  going  to  be  a  ring  tail 
snorter  for  fighting.  I  dont  think  it  will  be 
easy  to  whip  him,  he  seems  to  be  so  quick  to 
catch  on  to  every  little  thing,  he  is  all  over 
the  ship  at  once  and  he  talks  to  every  body, 
stops  any  one  to  ask  them  any  thing  he  wants 
to  know  about  the  ship,  he  is  very  quick  to 
take  the  advantage  of  every  little  thing. 

April  11.  Very  heavy  wether.  Wind  Blowing 
Great  Guns  and  a  head  sea.  But  we  are  Buck- 
ing it  and  making  11.6  knots,  the  Capt  dont 
think  we  will  run  up  against  any  thing  in  the 
shape  of  a  Torpedo  Boat  in  the  Straights.  We 
had  some  more  practis  today  with  the  6  Pound- 
ers and  did  some  good  work.  I  think  we 
could  make  it  very  interesting  for  a  Torpedo 
Boat.  I  dont  see  how  they  could  get  at  us, 
unless  it  was  in  the  night  and  then  there  would 
have  to  be  something  the  matter  with  our 
search  lights  and  all  hands  on  Board  would 
have  to  have  the  "Buck  Feaver." 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  313 

April  12.  We  lost  a  little  today  on  account 
of  the  forward  13  inch  Turet,  somthing  got 
Jamed.  all  going  well  once  more,  and  still 
bucking  a  head  sea  and  making  11.7  knots  right 
along.  4  P.  M.  Heavy  wind  has  turned  into 
a  gale,  but  she  is  like  a  duck  on  a  Mill  Pond 
and  still  making  10  knots,  Gale  or  no  Gale, 
she  has  not  roled  over  10  degrees  since  we  left 
Port  Orchard,  Wash. 

April  15.  Whooping  her  up  for  all  she  is  worth, 
want  to  make  all  she  can.  Wether  is  fine  but 
quite  Cold.  Making  all  the  way  from  14  to  15 
knots. 

April  16.  Everything  is  still  doing  well,  and 
still  going  a  mill  tail.  Passed  Smiths  Straights 
the  first  part  of  this  morning,  early,  and  in  the 
fog  that  has  Just  come  on  we  are  still  going  it. 
the  fog  raised  for  a  while  and  showed  us  the 
Destination  Island,  and  then  we  wer  shure  we 
had  only  30  miles  to  go  to  get  in  the  Straights. 
Just  at  Dark  we  droped  our  mud  hook  in  just 
45  fathoms  of  water  in  the  entrence  of  the 
Straights  of  Magellan.  9.45  P.  M.  had  the  8 
to     12    watch    and    She    more    than    blew.     I 


314      MY  FIFPY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

though  the  ship  would  drift.  But  she  held  on 
like  grim  Deth  to  a  dead  nigger.  The  wind 
Bio  wed  so  hard  I  expected  to  be  lifted  off  my 
feet. 

April  17.  Making  all  posable  speed  to  Sandy 
Point,  making  about  15  knots  ever  since  we 
started  this  morning.  12  O  clock  Midday, 
there  is  some  of  the  most  beautyfull  and 
grandest  sights  I  have  ever  had  the  pleasure 
to  look  upon.  I  am  shure  if  I  could  only 
write  on  the  subject  I  could  make  it  very  in- 
teresting. I  never  seen  such  beautifull  wild 
nature  in  all  my  travels;  there  is  mountain 
after  mountain  of  Glacier  and  they  seem  to 
have  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  it  was  a  little 
cold  too  and  the  whole  Mountain  sparkled  like 
diamonds.  6.  P.  M.  drop  anchor  in  the  Harber 
of  Sandy  Point,  Chili.  Had  the  public  bin  able 
to  see  us.  They  would  not  stop  runing  for  the 
next  week  to  come,  for  we  cleared  ship  for  action 
and  had  the  guns  all  loaded  up  and  ready  for 
business  and  to  Blaze  away  at  any  thing  that 
looked  as  thoe  it  wanted  to  fight.  Capt  Clark 
belives  in  for  warned  for  armed,  and  takes  no 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  S15 

chances,  had  the  two  Steam  Cutters  patroling 
the  ship  as  usual. 

She  made  one  of  the  grandest  runs  on  record 
for  11  hours  making  an  average  of  15i  knots ; 
it  knocks  the  Worlds  record  sky  high.  Just 
think  of  a  first  Class  Battle  Ship  making  15i 
knots  for  11  straight  hours  on  a  straight  away 
run,  and  we  all  think  she  could  beat  that  time. 
But  we  had  over  the  bow  2  anchors  with  the 
flukes  of  both  in  the  water  3  feet.  I  am  sure 
that  held  her  Back  2  tenths  of  a  knot.  And 
the  Marietta  is  not  hear,  the  Capt  dont  know 
what  has  become  of  her. 

April  18.  Well  the  Marietta  is  hear  this  morn- 
ing, she  came  in  at  12.15  this  morning.  She 
was  in  the  straights  when  we  past  her,  she  was 
laying  off  in  one  of  the  coves  waiting  for  us, 
the  man  on  look-out  sighted  us  as  we  pased  her, 
and  told  his  capt  and  he  said  let  her  go,  we 
will  up  anchor  and  overhall  her  in  a  short 
time,  it  hapened  that  the  lookout  was  on 
board  of  the  Oregon  and  he  told  his  Capt  that 
the  Marietta  could  never  catch  the  Oregon. 
Well  any  way  she  came  in  a  little  after  midnight. 


316      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE   NAVY 

The  first  thing  this  morning  we  started  to 
coal  up.  I  ha  vent  found  out  how  many  tons 
we  are  going  to  take  hear.  But  the  price  is 
$25  a  ton.  I  think  we  will  take  about  800  tons, 
all  the  men  on  the  Marietta  say  they  had  a  very 
rough  trip.  We  are  in  a  great  rush  to  get  out 
of  hear.  Capt  Clark  asked  Capt  Simons  if  he 
had  any  towing  Bits.  Looks  as  thoe  we  were 
going  to  snake  him  along  with  us.  I  am  de- 
tailed to  go  into  the  fighting  top  to  night  as 
capt  of  one  Pounder  and  look  out,  we  have  a 
double  watch  on  now  all  the  time  and  it  makes 
the  Duty  very  hard  thies  war  times. 

April  19.  Still  coaling  up,  was  working  all 
night  to  night,  expect  to  be  through  to  night 
sometime.  Puting  on  sea  stors  along  with  the 
coal.  Meat,  Can  goods,  coal  dust,  all  mixed  up 
togather.  What  is  the  defirance,  it  all  goes 
thies  times.  The  Marietta  had  some  trouble  in 
geting  coal  to  day.  She  only  got  40  tons  since 
1  A.  M.  this  morning,  so  Capt  Clark  ordered 
him  to  go  along  side  of  the  Coal  Hulk  and 
take  all  he  wanted,  for  Capt  sais  we  must  have 
the  coal   and  therefor  must  take  it  as   we  are 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  317 

going  out  of  hear  to  morrow.  3.30  P.  M.  there 
was  an  Argentine  Gun  Boat  came  in  Port  and 
I  would  not  be  surprised  to  see  a  scrap  hear 
before  we  left.  Chili  and  Argentine  are  in 
hot  disput  over  this  place,  it  seems  they  both 
clame  it  to  there  Boundry  line.  Chili  sent 
a  company  of  Soldiers  hear  the  18th  and  they 
expect  a  Transport  with  som  Soldiers  from  Ar- 
gentine to  night  som  time,  so  I  for  one  would 
like  to  see  a  good  scrap  of  som  kind  for  an  ap- 
petizer for  us,  Just  to  take  the  rough  edge  off 
you  know,  we  are  standing  by  our  Guns  all 
the  time  and  sleep  by  them  by  night.  While 
the  Jackies  coal  ship  all  hands  are  doing  there 
part  and  there  is  no  fudging  going  on.  of 
corse  there  is  all  kinds  of  War  talk  in  the  air. 

April  20.  At  12.30  A.  M.  still  coaling  up. 
Every  thing  working  smooth  and  nothing  to 
stop,  it  is  a  beautyfull  night  and  the  Southern 
Cross  looms  up  with  more  beauty  than  I  ever 
seen  befor.  But  the  ships  bum  Boat  is  all 
right  too,  she  loomed  up  with  a  big  ketle  of 
hot  Steaming  cocoa.  Just  the  thing  a  man 
wants  when  he  has  the  mid  watch,     the  wether 


318     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

is  very  cold  down  hear,  a  few  of  the  men  is 
going  ashore  to  morrow.  I  dont  think  I  will  be 
able  to  go  as  I  will  have  the  afternoon  watch, 
any  way  I  dont  care  much  as  I  am  use  to  the 
ship  now.  I  could  stay  hear  for  a  year.  I 
wish  we  wer  around  to  Key  West  so  as  to  be 
with  the  Band  wagon  when  she  starts.  Mr. 
Giles,  Midshipman,  is  a  very  sick  man,  he  was 
taken  ill  in  the  Cabin  this  morning.  I  went 
for  the  Doctor  for  him  at  1.45  A.  M.  Doc  said 
he  had  a  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs  caused  by 
concussion.  3  A.  M.  he  is  asleep  and  doing 
fine  now.  I  woulden  like  to  see  him  die,  he  is 
a  fine  fellow.  3.  45  A.  M.  coal  all  on  board.  4.30 
P.  M.  the  Capt  is  on  the  warpath,  he  is  mader 
than  a  wet  hen  for  he  tryed  to  get  out  of  hear 
by  2  P.  M.  to  day,  But  could  not  on  the  account 
of  the  Marietta  having  some  trouble  with  her 
coal,  so  we  both  go  tomorrow  morning  at  daybreak. 

April  21.  Called  all  hands  at  5.30  A.  M.  and  up 
anchor  at  6  A.  M.  I  called  the  old  man  at  5.40 
A.  M.  Signaled  over  to  pullout  and  we  are 
tailing  on  behind  untill  we  get  out  of  the 
Straights,  going  about  10  knots;    at  6  Bells  met 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  319 

a  steamer  Bound  for  Klondyke,  we  drop  a 
whale  boat  and  sent  our  Boarding  officer  to  find 
out  the  news  if  there  was  any  But  was  dis- 
apointed.  She  had  no  news,  she  was  15  days 
from  Rio  Janeiro.  7.30  P.  M.  all  is  going  well. 
The  Marietta  is  astern  now  and  likely  to  re- 
main so  untill  we  get  in  the  next  Port,  we 
past  another  steamer  about  3  P.  M.  and  when 
I  go  on  watch  to  night  at  8  I  will  try  and  find 
out  something  about  her.  Came  off  at  12  mid- 
night and  she  signaled  to  us  no  news  of  War. 
We  have  to  go  slow  on  account  of  the  Marietta, 
had  some  targate  practis  today  with  all  the 
Guns.  We  travel  at  night  with  all  lights  out 
now  adays  so  as  not  to  let  any  thing  slip  up  on 
us,  and  at  the  same  time  slip  up  on  them. 

April  22.  Wind  is  very  high,  lost  a  life  Boat 
this  morning  at  5.20  A.  M.  from  the  after 
Davits,  good  thing  the  wind  is  head  on,  the  Sea 
is  runing  high.  8  P.  M.  Sea  and  wind  has  gon 
down  considerable.  Making  about  lOi  knots. 
Ellis  is  sick  poor  man,  I  am  standing  his  watch 
to  night.  11.45  P.  M.  going  about  the  same 
and  all  is  well. 


320     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

April  23.  I  think  we  will  have  a  dash  of  Gen 
Quarters,  Just  to  shake  the  Boys  up.  the  old 
man  is  anxious  to  have  targate  Praetis,  he  be- 
lieves this  ship  whips  the  shoes  off  any  thing 
that  floats  in  the  line  of  Battle  ships,  of  corse 
Baring  a  Torpedo  if  one  should  hapen  to  hit, 
and  I  think  the  old  man  is  right  too,  for  this 
crew  feels  scrapy  now.  I  think  we  would  fight 
fer  Keeps.  Had  Gen  Quarters  in  the  morning 
and  Church  in  the  afternoon. 

April  24.  All  is  well,  at  12  Oclock  noon  to  day 
we  wer  in  Lat.  44°  23m  and  Lon  57°  48m. 
had  some  fire  drill  to  day  mixed  with  a  little 
collision  drill. 

April  25.  4  A.  M.  Just  came  on  watch  and  I 
am  going  on  deck  to  get  a  cup  of  cocoa  to  wake 
me  up  abit.  the  old  man  is  in  the  Chart  house 
snoozing,  so  I  guess  it  is  safe  to  go.  Every 
thing  has  settled  down  to  the  same  old  thing 
except  when  we  have  some  Targate  Praetis  By 
throwing  boxes  over  board. 

April  26.  8  A.  M.  All  is  well,  same  thing.  Mak- 
ing lOi  sometimes  11  knots.  Had  clear  ship 
for  action  today. 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  321 

April  27.  Every  body  begins  to  feal  the  trip 
now,  geting  tiresome  now.  since  they  have 
taken  all  of  our  ditty  Boxes  and  benches  and 
all  extra  mess  chests  and  stored  them  away,  we 
have  no  place  to  sit  down  except  on  deck  and 
let  our  feet  hang  over,  then  the  men  forward 
cant  get  enough  water  to  keep  themselves  clean. 
I  am  more  lucky  than  most  of  them  for  I  have 
a  chance  to  steal  a  Bucketful  one  every  night, 
our  cook  is  no  good,  he  makes  sour  Bread  and 
would  make  good  schrapnel  for  clearing  the 
decks,  and  of  corse  your  humble  servant  has 
to  chew  Hard  Tack,  had  more  Targate  practis 
to  day. 

April  28.  good  stiff  Breeze  to  day.  Expect  to 
have  more  targate  practis  to  day  with  ful  charges 
of  amanition ;   no  practis,  wind  too  high. 

April  29.  good  day  to  day,  guess  we  will  have 
it  to  day,  no  we  dont  have  it.  the  old  man 
has  changed  his  mind  and  we  will  try  and  make 
Port  to  morrow. 

April  30.  Started  to  pul  out  this  morning  at 
5.30  A.  M.,  useing  forsed  draught,  making  14.5 
knots,  going  to  try  and  make  it  by  4  P.  M.,  have 


Sn     MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

a  head  wind  and  light  head  sea.  Droped  anchor 
at  3  P.  M.  in  the  beautyfull  harber  of  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  and  befor  the  Mud  hook  struck  the 
botom  we  had  the  news  that  war  was  declared 
on  the  21st  of  April  1898,  the  very  day  we 
puled  out  of  Sandy  Point,  as  soon  as  every 
thing  was  put  to  order  we  Broke  out  the  Band 
to  give  us  the  Star  Spangled  Baner,  and  the 
Crew  diden  do  a  thing  But  yell  and  whoop 
her  up,  so  they  had  to  play  it  over  4  times. 
The  Marietta  got  in  at  7  P.  M.  The  Forts  at 
this  place  were  not  going  to  let  her  in.  But 
when  they  see  her  Signal  they  let  her  pass  O.  K. 
started  to  coal  up  at  8.25  P.  M.  and  we  get  out 
of  hear  as  soon  as  we  can.  I  hear  the  Spanish 
has  got  one  of  our  Merchant  ships,  the  Shanan- 
dore,  loaded  with  English  goods.  I  wonder 
how  that  is  going  to  com  out.  Every  one  on 
this  ship  is  crasie  to  get  at  the  Spanish. 

May  1.  Just  com  on  watch.  Beautyfull  morn- 
ing and  still  coaling  ship.  Hear  is  where  you 
can  get  lots  of  sour  frute  and  Bananas  by  the 
ship  load  for  a  little  mony.  But  we  are  not 
aloud  to  Buy  any  thing  that  isent  sour  on  ac- 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  323 

count  of  Yellow  Feaver  at  this  place.  The  Bra- 
zilian soldiers  stop  up  all  night  to  be  up  eriy 
in  the  morning;  they  started  to  give  us  Revelee 
about  3  Oclock  this  morning,  dident  get  through 
until  4  A.  M.  it  sounds  very  pretty  early  in  the 
morning  when  you  are  all  ready  awake,  and  such 
a  beautifuU  morning  as  this  is  you  can  hear  the 
echo  of  the  drums  up  in  the  hils  far  away.  You 
would  all  most  wish  you  could  stop  hear  all  the 
time  and  be  a  Brazilian  for  good.  But  I  coulden 
leave  my  Dear  land  for  all  the  pretty  sights  Ive 
seen  togather. 

May  2.  American  Minerster  Just  com  on  board 
and  told  us  the  news  of  the  Battle  of  Manila, 
the  Yanks  did  up  every  thing  there,  coal  is 
coming  on  very  slow  and  the  old  man  is  geting 
ancious  to  get  out. 

May  3.  going  out  to-morrow  morning  at  6  A.  M. 
The  crew  is  very  enthusiastic  over  the  war.  got 
out  this  morning  all  right  But  going  slow.  I 
think  we  are  fooling  around  hear.  Have  Nic- 
theroy  as  a  transport  boat.  She  has  2000  tons  of 
coal  on  Board  for  us  and  they  say  she  is  an  18 
knoter. 


324      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

May  4.  I  guess  the  war  is  on  for  keeps  now. 
We  have  com  back  to  Rio  or  near  it  to  wate 
for  a  Spanish  Torpedo  Boat  that  has  bin  laying 
around  hear  for  the  last  3  days  and  at  the  same 
time  to  take  the  Nichteroy. 

May  5.  lost  some  time  waiting  for  the  Nictheroy 
But  she  came  along  at  dark,  the  Marietta  will 
look  out  for  her  and  we  will  pull  out  for  Key 
West  I  think. 

May  6.  Every  thing  doing  well  and  making  10 
and  11  knots  right  off  the  reel  now.  at  8  P.  M. 
the  old  man  called  all  the  Ward  Room  officers 
in  the  Cabin  and  read  the  tellegrams  to  them 
from  Washington  Which  wer  his  sealed  Orders 
and  one  of  them  reads  like  this :  four  armered 
Cruisers  left  Cape  de  Verde  at  some  date  and 
2  Torpedo  Boats,  Destination  unknown,  and 
the  old  man  is  told  to  beware.  The  old  man 
had  a  consul  of  War  to  night,  so  if  we  have  to 
scrap,  we  will  have  to  cut  a  lively  gate  for 
them,  they  say  the  Spanish  is  some  Kind  of 
a  fighter  him  self.  But  we  all  think  we  can 
show  him  a  trick  with  a  hole  in  it.  that  was  a 
great  fight  of  the  Manilla  bay. 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  325 

May  7.  Every  thing  doing  well,  except  this 
morning  at  4.50  A.  M.  Gen  Quarters  sounded 
and  there  was  a  lively  old  time  for  a  while. 
Every  body  thought  we  wer  in  for  it  then  and 
there.  I  cannot  describe  the  fealing  of  en- 
thusiasm about  the  Decks,  you  see  we  had  our 
orders  to  send  in  a  Gen  alarm  when  ever  any 
thing  looked  like  a  Manowar  got  in  sight, 
there  was  a  little  rain  squall  and  some  old  sail- 
ing ship  was  in  it,  and  just  as  she  cleared  away 
our  lookout  sighted  the  ship  and  sent  in  the 
alarm;  it  was  the  Capts  orders  to  send  in  the 
alarm  even  if  he  was  not  there  as  he  would  get 
there  all  right,  at  9  A.  M.  the  old  man  called 
all  hands  to  muster  on  the  Quarter  deck  and 
told  us  the  news  he  had  received  at  Rio :  there 
was  4  first  class  cruisers  and  three  Torpedo 
Boats  going  to  meet  around  hear  some  where 
and  do  us  up.  we  all  expect  they  will  if  they 
can.  But  the  pruf  of  the  Puding  is  the  eat- 
ing of  it  and  we  will  have  something  to  say 
about  that.  And  after  telling  us  about  the 
fleet  that  was  going  to  whip  the  socks  off  us  he 
made  a  little  speach  to  us;  he  said  of  corse  it 
was  his  duty  to  the  Goverment  to  get  the  ship 


326      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

around  on  the  other  side  and  stear  clear  of  the 
fleet  if  posable.  But  in  case  he  did  meet  the 
fleet  he  was  sure  Spain's  fighting  efficiency  on 
the  sea  would  be  demineshed.  So  we  all  gave 
him  three  rousen  Cheers  and  the  old  man 
Blushed,  but  he  is  a  dandy  Just  the  same. 

May  8.  got  to  Bahia,  Bra.  at  8.30  P.  M.  after 
making  a  good  run  and  having  Targate  practis 
with  full  charges  of  Powder,  don  some  fine 
shooting  with  the  Big  Guns.  I  dont  think  it 
will  be  a  bit  too  healthy  for  the  Spanish  to 
bump  up  against  us,  for  we  have  a  good  eye. 
We  put  in  hear  as  an  excuse  to  put  on  War 
paint  saying  our  engines  wer  Brok  down  and 
at  the  same  time  to  get  more  coal  if  we  can. 

May  9.  Put  on  War  paint  to  day  and  we  are 
out  for  it  now.  we  have  the  ship  cleared  for 
action  now  for  keeps,  got  some  coal  and  fresh 
water,  filed  up  with  every  thing  we  wanted, 
at  8  P.  M.  the  old  man  got  a  telagram  and  at 
10  P.  M.  we  wer  on  our  corse  for  the  West 
Indias. 

May  10.  going  along  smooth  and  nothing  doing. 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  327 

May  11.  still  expect  to  meet  that  fleet  and  if  we 
do  meet  them  there  is  going  to  be  a  "Hot  time 
in  the  old  town  to  night." 

May  12.  Every  thing  the  same,  some  of  us  think 
we  past  through  the  fleet  last  night,  there  wer 
several  lights  all  around  and  acted  Mighty  quer. 

May  13.  Nothing  doing  and  will  wate  untill  we 
get  in  Port. 

May  18.  got  into  Barbadoes  at  4  A.  M.  this 
morning  and  found  lots  of  war  talk  going  on ; 
we  are  puting  on  coal  Just  now,  expect  to  go 
out  of  hear  to  morrow  morning  erly.  8  P.  M. 
up  anchor  once  more  after  geting  250  tons  of 
coal  on  and  ready  for  buisness.  Guess  the 
Spanish  dont  want  any  of  this  craft,  it  seems 
we  will  get  there  without  firering  a  shot. 

May  24.  arived  at  Jupiter  light  house  after 
making  a  flank  movement  to  the  northard  and 
not  a  ship  to  be  be  seen. 

May  25.  up  anchor  once  more  for  Key  West, 
got  there  on  the  26th;  of  corse  the  Capt  dident 
know  how  things  stud  so  he  had  to  go  slow. 
About  4.30  A.   M.   the  man  on  the  life  Bouy 


S28      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

gave  the  alarm,  saying  there  was  a  small  dark 
objict  coming  this  way ;  the  Officer  of  the  Deck 
roused  up  the  Capt  and  the  next  thing  we  knew 
Gen  Quarters  sounded.  What  should  it  be 
But  the  tug  with  our  Pilot  on  board  for  us,  the 
"Hudson"  was  the  name  of  the  tug. 

May  27.  still  puting  on  coal,  expect  to  go  down 
to  Cuba  with  the  New  York. 

June  1.  I  herd  the  first  shot  in  this  war  to  day, 
Santiago  de  Cuba  and  with  the  flying  squadron. 

June  2.  we  had  a  wild  goose  chase. 

June  3.  nothing  doing  but  laying  off  hear  and 
watching  what  looks  like  to  me  a  big  hole  in  the 
grond.     same  thing  the  4th  and  5th. 

June  6.  Stand  from  under,  we  Bombard  the 
forts  and  water  Baterys  to  day  for  4  hours  but 
dont  know  how  much  damage  we  don. 

June  7.  staying  out  hear  and  doing  nothing. 

June  8.  same  thing. 

June  9.     " 

June  10.  we  went  down  to  Guantanamo  Bay  to 
put  some  coal  on  and  landed  40  Marines  in  the 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  329 

Morning,  we  wer  the  first  to  put  foot  on  Cuban 
soil  in  this  war.  The  9th  the  Marblehead  and 
Dolphin  Bombarded  the  place  and  made  them 
look  like  Munkys ;  they  ran  away  and  left  every 
thing  behind  them. 

June  11.  came  back  to  Santiago  on  the  10th. 
and  laying  off  hear  as  befor. 

June  12.  Same  old  thing.  Expecting  Troops 
every  day. 

June  13.  Dito. 

June  14.  the  New  Orleans  was  ordered  to  run 
in  close  to  the  shore  and  do  som  Bombarding 
By  her  self  Just  to  break  the  Monotony  and  to 
let  us  believe  we  wer  at  war.  we  don  a  good 
Job  all  right,  she  silenced  the  east  Battry  and 
the  west  one  too,  and  made  them  show  up  a 
water  Battry  which  we  did  not  know  any  thing 
about,  havent  herd  how  many  got  kild  or 
wounded  on  the  other  side.  But  I  know  they 
never  hert  any  one  on  this  side.  Got  some 
news  from  Guantanamo  to  day.  Co.  Hunting- 
ton and  his  Marines  of  800  Had  a  Brush  with 
the  Spanish,  it  is  reported  that  6  marines  wer 


330      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

kild  and  Doctor  Gibbs  was  shot  through  the 
head  by  accident,  there  is  at  Guantanamo 
Bay  the  Texas,  Marblehead  and  Porter  and 
800  Marines;  they  expect  to  have  the  cable 
work  soon  and  the  Harbor  well  under  Hand. 
I  forgot  to  say  the  Vesuvius  landed  3  shots  of 
dinomite  in  the  Harbor  on  the  night  of  the  13th 
at  Santiago  and  did  great  damage  to  the  Shore 
Batterys;  the  latest  report  is  that  the  Cubans 
are  flocking  in  to  Huntingtons  camp. 

June  15.  coaling  ship  and  still  retain  our  posi- 
sion  on  the  Blockade. 

June  16.  At  3.30  A.  M.  this  morning  all  hands 
was  called  and  the  coffie  was  passed  around 
with  som  hardtack  and  cand  Beef  at  4  A.  M. 
Turn  to,  some  15  to  20  Minutes  later  Qen  Quar- 
ters sounded.  Then  we  went  at  it  to  try  and 
see  if  we  could  not  knock  thoes  Batterys  off 
the  earth.  Bombarded  untill  7.15  A.  M.  No- 
body knows  how  much  damage  was  don,  except 
we  silinced  all  the  Batterys  they  had  and  made 
them  show  up  a  nother  one  inside  of  the  har- 
bor of  which  there  seems  to  be  lots  of  them. 
I  will  say  right  hear  that  if  we  take  this  place 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  3S1 

its  going  to  be  a  hot  old  Job,  and  som  of  us 
will  think  we  run  up  against  a  Hornets  nest 
when  we  get  in  side,  they  have  been  talking 
of  forsing  the  Chanell  and  Capt  Clark  signaled 
over  to  the  flag  ship  and  asked  permishion  to 
take  the  leed,  and  I  am  sure  we  will  stay  with 
him  as  long  as  the  ship  floats  for  we  love  him. 
The  Vesuvius  fired  three  more  shots  last  night 
at  about  12.  dont  knov/  what  damage  was  don 
But  I  know  we  are  all  tired  of  this  fooling,  if 
they  would  only  send  some  soldiers  down  here 
from  the  regular  army,  say  6  Regiments  of  In- 
fantry and  3  of  Cavalry,  I  think,  with  what 
we  could  put  up,  that  forse  would  more  than 
be  a  match  for  them  and  take  the  place  with 
all  ease.  The  latest  Bulitin  of  the  day  is  that 
the  Forses  at  Guantanamo  have  bin  Joined  by 
some  Cubans  and  had  a  Brush  with  the  Span- 
ish, and  the  report  is  that  40  wer  kild  on  the 
Spanish  side  and  17  taken  prisoners  of  war, 
one  Spanish  Lut.  2  Corp  and  14  Privates.  On 
our  side  3  Cubans  Kild  and  2  wounded,  3  Ma- 
rines wounded  and  17  overcome  by  the  heat. 
But  all  recovered.  Routed  the  Spanish  and 
distroyed    the    water    suply    and    Block    House. 


332      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

The  Dolphin  held  there  posision  from  the  water 
frount  and  the  Texas  sunk  2  small  Gun  boats. 

June  17.  come  down  to  Guantanamo  Bay  this 
morning,  put  some  300  tons  of  coal  on  and  throde 
some  shells  over  in  an  old  Fort  and  then  puled 
out  right  away  for  Santiago. 

June  20.  Bully  for  the  Soldiers,  they  are  hear 
at  last,  **I  thought  they  would  com  tomorrow," 
some  of  the  papers  say  there  is  20.000  of  them, 
that  is  enough  to  eat  the  plase  up  for  lunch. 
Well  I  hope  we  will  soon  crack  this  nut  that  is 
so  hard  to  crack.  I  hear  there  is  15000  Spanish 
soldiers  over  hear. 

June  22.  the  soldiers  are  landing  all  O.  K.  and 
doing  well,  and  only  a  few  horses  and  2  men 
lost  so  far,  so  the  Flag  Ship  says. 

June  26.  Started  in  this  morning  to  see  if  we 
coulden  knock  down  that  Spanish  old  Morro  or 
else  knock  something  cruckit  around  it.  Well 
we  pelted  away  for  an  hour  or  more  and  the 
flag  ship  signaled  over  to  the  Iowa  to  close  in 
and  pump  at  the  Smith  Key  Battry.  The  Iowa 
signaled  Back  that  her  forward  Turet  was  out 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  333 

of  order,  so  it  fel  to  us,  we  went  in  to  700  yards 
of  the  shore  Battry  and  did  knock  down  the 
Spanish  flag  with  an  8  inch  shell  and  knocked 
over  one  of  there  Big  Guns.  I  believe  if  the 
flag  ship  had  not  called  us  off  Capt  Clark  would 
have  went  in  along  side  of  old  Morro  and  give 
him  a  tutching  up. 

June  28.  I  am  geting  tired  of  trying  to  keep 
cases  on  this  thing,  there  is  nothing  doing  but 
laying  around  hear  like  a  lot  of  sharks  watch- 
ing for  a  fish. 

July  4.  The  fish  has  come  out  to  see  us.  On 
the  3rd  the  Spanish  fleet  came  out  of  the  Har- 
bor to  fight  and  get  a  way  if  posable.  (I  would 
have  put  this  down  on  the  3rd  But  I  dident 
have  time  and  was  too  tired  that  night  so  put 
it  off  for  today.)  Well  the  Fleet  came  out  and 
went  to  Davy  Joneses  locker.  It  was  Just  9.25 
A.  M.,  first  call  had  sounded  on  our  ship  for 
Quarters  and  we  all  have  our  best  dudds  on; 
we  wer  going  to  listen  to  the  Articles  of  War 
this  morning  and  to  have  chirch  right  affter, 
But  we  never  did.  all  of  a  suden  the  Ordly  on 
watch   made   a   dive  for   the   Cabin   head   first. 


334      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

and  told  the  old  man  the  Fleet  was  coming  out 
of  the  Harbor,  the  old  man  jumpt  up  a  stand- 
ing, as  soon  as  some  of  the  men  seen  the  ships 
there,  they  went  to  there  Quarters  with  out  any 
further  dealy.  I  was  standing  on  the  Quarter 
Deck  waiting  for  the  last  call  to  go.  I  heard 
the  news  and  looking  around  the  affter  Terets 
seen  the  first  one.  I  thought  she  looked  Biger 
than  a  Mountain.  But  then  I  thought  affter- 
wards  we  could  cut  her  down  to  her  natchral 
size,  of  corse  it  takes  longer  to  tell  about  it 
than  it  taken  us  to  get  ready,  for  we  wer  allways 
ready,  and  all  we  had  to  do  was  to  sound  the 
Bells  and  stand  By  our  Guns,  they  wer  allways 
loaded  so  all  we  had  to  do  was  to  turn  on  the 
fors  draught  and  pull  the  triger. 

By  9.27  the  Oregon  fired  the  first  shot  of 
the  Battle  of  July  3rd,  1898  at  the  first  ship 
that  came  out  of  the  Harbor.  I  dont  remember 
the  ships  as  they  come  out,  But  we  went  in  to 
meet  them  and  passed  them  som  good  shots  as 
they  cep  coming,  about  7  or  9  minuts  after 
they  got  started  good,  one  of  our  6  inch  guns 
blew  up  one  of  the  Torpedo  Boats,  struck  her 
squar  amidships,  she  sunk  like  a  rock  with  all 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  335 

on  board,  and  right  hear  is  where  I  had  to 
stop  for  a  moment  to  admire  one  of  there  Gun- 
ers.  I  do  think  he  was  one  of  the  bravest  men 
I  ever  had  the  pleasure  to  look  upon.  That 
man  must  have  known  he  was  going  to  a  shure 
Deth,  he  stud  on  Deck  and  cep  firing  at  us  all 
the  time,  and  the  last  time  I  seen  him  he  was 
Just  going  up  in  the  air.  As  the  ships  came 
out  of  the  harbor  they  sircled  to  the  right,  or 
Westward,  and  Capt  Clark  knew  they  were  try- 
ing to  escape,  they  did  not  think  the  old  Ore- 
gon wa$  such  a  runer  as  she  was  a  fighter,  so 
we  Just  tailed  on  with  them  and  giving  them 
shot  for  shot.  In  about  20  minuts  the  first 
ship  went  on  the  Beach,  plumb  knocked  out, 
and  15  minutes  later  the  secon  one  went  on  the 
Beach,  a  short  ways  from  the  first.  Then  csiu\,e 
the  tug  of  war  for  we  had  to  run  to  catch  the 
Vizcaya  and  the  Colon,  but  we  catched  them 
both,  the  Vizcaya  was  about  4000  yards  ahead 
and  the  Colon  was  about  3  miles  ahead,  and 
the  poor  men  in  the  fireroom  was  working  like 
horses,  and  to  cheer  them  up  we  passed  the 
word  down  the  ventlators  how  things  was  go- 
ing on,   and  they  passed  the  word  back  if  we 


336      MY  FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  NAVY 

would  cut  them  down  they  would  get  us  to 
where  we  could  do  it.  So  we  got  in  rainge  of 
the  Vizcaya  and  we  sent  her  ashore  with  the 
secondary  Battry  and  6  inch  guns,  and  then 
we  settled  down  for  a  good  chase  for  the  Colon. 
I  thought  she  was  going  to  run  a  way  from  us. 
But  she  had  to  make  a  curv  and  we  headed  for 
a  point  that  she  had  to  come  out  at.  We  all 
think  there  is  no  man  in  the  Navy  like  Capt 
Clark,  he  is  a  Brave  man,  he  stud  on  the  For- 
ward 13  inch  turet  though  the  thickest  of  this 
fight  and  directed  his  ship  to  the  final  results. 

Coming  back  to  Santiago  we  waited  untill 
we  got  to  where  the  first  ship  went  on  the 
Beach  and  there  fired  the  national  salut.  We 
have  3  Spanish  prisoners  on  board  and  they 
thought  we  wer  at  it  a  gain,  and  it  was  all  the 
sick  Bay  man  could  do  as  to  quiet  them.  I 
hear  there  is  over  1800  Prisoners  and  650  kild 
and  800  wounded  on  the  third,  the  three  men 
oil  board  tells  the  sickbayman  that  we  run 
through  there  fleet  coming  around  hear,  for 
the  next  day  they  found  a  Pork  Barrel  ful  of 
holes  and  had  marked  on  the  head  U.  S.  S. 
Oregon.     We  all  seem  to  think  we  could  take 


A  SAILOR'S  LOG  337 

care  of  our  selves  Just  the  same,  it  is  Just 
6.50  P.  M.  now  and  the  men  all  say  there  is  no 
flag  flying  in  the  Morro.  But  I  can  see  Just 
as  good  as  any  and  I  can  not  see  any  either, 
But  then  I  think  we  are  out  too  far. 
July  5.  At  about  11.45  the  danger  Signal  was 
flashed  by  the  lookout  from  the  Massachusetts, 
she  being  the  one  to  show  her  serchlight  at  the 
entrance  of  the  Harbor  for  the  night,  the  Span- 
ish was  trying  to  sink  one  of  there  old  ships 
in  the  Chanel  so  as  not  to  let  us  in.  But  Just 
3  or  4  shots  from  the  Massachusetts  Big  13 
inch  Guns  help  them  to  do  the  Job,  for  she 
sunk  befor  they  got  to  the  Chanal.  there  is 
Spanish  menowar  and  Torpedo  boats  strung 
all  along  the  Beach  for  60  miles. 

July  10.  We  are  laying  off  now  in  Guantanamo 
Bay  filing  out  to  go  to  Porto  Rico  or  on  the 
Coast  of  Spain. 

This    is    all    in    regards    to    the    trip    of    the 

Oregon. 

R.  Cross. 


ADDENDA 

"  If  there's  a  fight 
By  day  or  night 
We're  ready  for  it  now." 

From  Nesbit's  Oregon  poem  in  the  Baltimore  "  American." 

The  speed  so  unexpectedly  shown  by  the  Oregon  at 
the  crisis  of  the  battle,  due  primarily  to  the  efforts  of 
her  officers  and  men,  already  referred  to,  was  because 
she  was  never  without  full  steam  on  all  boilers  while  off 
Santiago.  There  was  a  statement,  accepted  for  a  time 
at  the  Navy  Department,  that  she  was  about  to  shift 
from  forward  to  after  boilers  and  so  only  happened  to 
have  full  steam  when  the  Spanish  fleet  rushed  out. 
But  this  was  answered  effectually  at  the  Schley  Court 
of  Inquiry  when  the  commander  of  the  Brooklyn  was 
recalled. 

Knowing  how  deeply  officers,  seamen,  firemen  and 
marines  on  board  the  Oregon  regretted  that  the  Depart- 
ment failed  to  recommend  that  a  medal  be  struck  to 
commemorate  the  service  of  their  ship,  I  addressed 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  March  29,  1900. 

"  Therefore  in  justice  to  officers  and  men  who  exerted 
themselves  so  much  and  endured  such  hardships  dur- 
ing the  long  and  arduous  voyage  from  the  Pacific, 
that  their  ship  might  be  present  and  efficient  in  the 
hour  of  need,  whose  willingness  to  encounter  single- 

338 


ADDENDA  339 

handed  the  enemy's  fleet  if  it  should  cross  her  track 
was  so  evident,  and  whose  enthusiasm  in  battle  was 
so  inspiring,  I  feel  that  I  should  emphasize  the  fol- 
lowing facts  :  That  the  Oregon  speedily  gained  a  posi- 
tion nearest  the  enemy,  that  she  held  that  position 
during  the  crisis  of  the  battle,  that  she  attacked  in  suc- 
cession all  four  of  the  enemy's  ships,  and  that  she 
passed  none  until  they  turned  for  the  beach,  three 
on  fire  and  the  fourth  with  her  colors  coming  down." 

The  following  is  from  my  letter  to  the  Department 
after  the  battle. 

'*  I  cannot  speak  in  too  high  terms  of  the  bearing 
and  conduct  on  board  this  ship.  When  they  found 
the  Oregon  had  pushed  to  the  front  and  was  hurrying 
to  a  succession  of  conflicts  with  the  enemy's  vessels  if 
they  could  be  overtaken  and  would  engage,  the  enthu- 
siasm was  intense. 

*'  As  these  vessels  were  so  much  more  heavily  armored 
than  the  Brooklyn  they  might  have  concentrated  upofi 
and  overpowered  her  and  consequently  I  am  persuaded 
that  but  for  the  way  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Oregon 
steamed  and  steered  the  ship  and  fought  and  supplied 
her  batteries,  the  Colon  and  perhaps  the  Vizcaya,  would 
have  escaped.  Therefore  I  feel  that  they  rendered 
meritorious  service  to  the  country." 


Positions  of  American  and  Spanish  ships  at  the 
Battle  of  Santiago,  as  shown  by  the  Board 
OF  Navigators,  one  officer  from  each  ship 

ENGAGED  I 


towa«     •Oreffon 


TheAmecican  ships  on  station 

July  3, 1898.  Flagship  the  New  Yodt 

to  the  eastward 


Hacbor  entcanc« 


TecesaO        O     Colon 
Vizcaya 


8rooklyn#    jo^yg^   Indiana  SECOND  POSITION 

Oregon  0  ^j^g  Spanish  fleet  cominf  out.  American 

Texas  •  ships  closing  in.  Otregon  passing  to  front 

between  the  Iowa  and  Texas 


340 


ADDENDA 


341 


^ 

Indiana 

• 

Hacboc  entrance 

THIRD  POSITION 

The  Spanish  flagship  Teresa 

has  been  driven  out  of  action  as 

the  Oregon  closed  Oregon  now 

bringing  Oquendo  to  close  action 

which  vessel  soon  heads  foe 

the  shore 

Teresa O 
Colon© 
OquendoO 

O                                   •Iowa 
Vizcaya        ^ocegon  #Texas 

•  Brooklyn 

Colon 
O 

^^ 

Vizcaya O 

•  Iowa 

SIXtH  POSITION 

•  oeeron   ^^^^^^ 

The  Vizcaya  driven  out  of  action 

•  Brooklyn 

o 

Colon 


SEVEWTH  POSITION 

The  Colon  surrenders  as  the  last 
shot  from  the  Oregon  falls  alongside 


New  York 


•  ocegon 
•  Brooklyn 


•  Texas 


INDEX 

Ah  Tee,  Chinese  comprador,  friendship  for   America, 

217,  222. 
Aiken,  John  A.,  Chief  Justice  of  the  Superior  Court  of 

Massachusetts.     PubUshes   "The  Voyage   of   the 

Oregon",  305. 
AnnapoUs,  arrival  of  troops  at,  31 ;  removal  of  Academy 

from,  33. 
Arthur,    Chester   A.,   President,  visit   to   U.S.S.    New 

Hampshire,  242. 
Beecher,  Henry  Ward,  remarkable  sermon  of,  heard  by 

midshipmen,  38. 
Bem,  Acting  Lieutenant  Commander,  81. 
Beresford,  Lord  Charles,  English  Admiral,  comments 

about  Oregon,  142;  Monadnock,  151. 
Blake,  Commodore,  Superintendent  of  Naval  Academy, 

14. 
Buchanan,     Franklin,    Confederate     Admiral,    attack 

upon  our  fleet  by,  102. 
Cervera,  Spanish  Admiral.     Brave  and  magnanimous. 

Rescues  Hobson  and   companions,  284 ;    conduct 

in  battle,  295. 
Constitutioriy  last  preparations  made  for  defense  of,  27 ; 

compared  by  Secretary  of  the  Navy  with  Oregon,  36. 
Cook,  Rear  Admiral,   49 ;    receives  surrender  of  the 

Colon,  50. 
Cumberland,  De  Joinville's  tribute  to  her  defense,  52; 

escape  from,  by  Selfridge  and  Stuyvesant,  52. 
Cushing,  hero  of  the  Albemarle,  reference  to  promotion 

of,  168. 

343 


344  INDEX 

Davis,  George  Thornton,  Captain,  bravery  of,  at  Fort 

Fisher,  49. 
De  Courcey,  English  Commodore,  adherence  to  form 

at  presentation  to  Queen  Victoria. 
De  Joinville,  Prince,  tribute  to  defense  of  Cumberland, 

52  ;  anecdote  of,  54. 
D'Orleans,   Due  de  Penthievre,  Midshipman,  loss  of 

personal  effects,  43  ;  startles  royalty,  44. 
Emma,  Queen  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  passenger  on 

board  Vanderhilt,  172. 
Farragut,  David  Glasgow,  Admiral,  anecdote  of,  89 ; 

at  Mobile  Bay,  95,  famous  signal  of,  102. 
Fort    Morgan,    passage    of,    by    Farragut's    fleet,    98; 

capture  of,  109. 
Galveston,  Texas,  scene  of  reverses,  84 ;   breaking  the 

blockade  at,  85. 
Gorgey,  Arthur,  Hungarian  General,  81. 
Gull  versus  game-cocks,  174. 
Hartford,  Farragut's  flagship,  rams  the  Tennessee,  103 ; 

executive  officer  of,  212. 
Hastings,  English  Admiral,  efforts  to  serve  shipwrecked 

Americans,  194. 
Hotel  des  Invalides,  visit  to,  65. 
House  of  Lords,  visit  to,  5Q. 

Howell,  J.  A.,  Rear  Admiral,  services  at  Mobile  unre- 
warded, 106. 
John  Adams,  sloop-of-war,  practice-ship,  51. 
Jouett,  James,  Rear  Admiral,  captures  the  Selma,  102. 
Le  Roy,  William  E.,  Rear  Admiral,  commander  of  the 

Ossipee  at  Mobile  Bay,  99,  receives  the  surrender 

of  the  iron-clad  flagship,  Tennessee,  105. 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  President,  acceptance  of  steamer 

Vanderhilt  by,  129. 


INDEX  345 

Luce,  Stephen  B.,  Rear  Admiral,  commands  practice- 
ship  Macedonian^  34 ;  founder  of  Naval  War 
College,  243. 

Ludlow,  Nicoll,  Midshipman,  55. 

Ludlow,  William,  reference  to  services  of,  253. 

Macedonian,  corvette,  practice-ship,  54. 

Mahan,  Alfred  T.,  Captain  and  author,  49 ;  reference 
to  Oregon  by,  272. 

Mahopac,  ordered  to,  203. 

Mitchell,  Doctor  S.  Vs.,  304. 

Monadnoch,  double-turreted  monitor  sent  to  the 
Pacific,  124. 

Monocacy,  swings  abbut-in-A'-aBgtze^230 ;  race  with 
Kestrel,  233. 

Napoleon,  Louis,  Emperor,  dread  of  Orsini  and  asso- 
ciates, 134. 

New  Hampshire,  my  first  command  at  sea,  235. 

Newport,  R.  I.,  transfer  of  Naval  Academy  to,  40. 

Nunez,  Mendez,  Spanish  Admiral,  attractive  person- 
ality of,  144  ;  bombards  Valparaiso,  155  ;  wounded 
at  Callao,  164. 

Orsini,  Felice,  mysterious  account  of,  at  Isles  de  Salut, 
134. 

Oregon,  battleship,  ordered  to  command  of,  257 ;  from 
the  Pacific  to  Key  West,  258-277;  at  Santiago, 
282-297. 

Ossipee,  steam-sloop,  narrow  escape  from  iron-clad 
Tennessee,  100;   last  to  strike  the  Tennessee,  104. 

Ranger,  take  command  of,  244. 

Reed,  "Savez  ",  Confederate  naval  hero,  120. 

Rodgers,  John,  Commodore,  record  of  meritorious 
services  of,  124 ;  intention  to  prevent  bombard- 
ment of  Valparaiso,  147. 


346  INDEX 

Roosevelt,  Theodore,  President,  302. 

St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  London,  visit  to,  60. 

Sampson,  William  T.,  Rear  Admiral,  influence  when  a 
midshipman,  24;    signal  from,  281. 

Schley,  W.  S.,  Commodore,  complimentary  signal  to 
the  Oregon,  299. 

Suwanee,  wreck  of,  July  7,  1868,  179. 

Vanderhilt,  steamer  transferred  to  Government,  129. 

Walker,  J.  G.,  Rear  Admirat,  association  with,  235. 

Watson,  John  Crittenden,  Rear  Admiral,  lashes  Farra- 
gut  to  rigging,  94  ;  naval  representative  to  corona- 
tion, London,  302. 


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